Limpopo politicians treat themselves to R8 million in luxury cars
- The Limpopo provincial government has revealed it spent around R8 million on cars for provincial leaders in recent years
- The revelation was made after the DA in Limpopo made an enquiry about the matter in the provincial Parliament
- Limpopo officials have a preference for big sporty luxury 4x4 vehicles
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Political leaders in Limpopo spent just over R8 million on luxury vehicles between the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years. This figure includes the price of purchase and extra features such as fancy paint, smash-and-grab tint and maintenance plans.
The revelation was made by the Limpopo provincial government after the Democratic Alliance (DA) leader in Limpopo, Jacques Smalle requested the information.
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The report reveals that Mercedes Benz is doing a swift trade with the government in the province, seven out of the 11 vehicles which featured in the report is made by the German luxury automaker.
Briefly.co.za gathered that big, luxurious (and fast) 4x4’s are still the transportation method of choice for all officials. The other vehicles in the report include a special edition Jeep, a Range Rover, a VW Touareg and a Lexus.
Thesouthafrican.com reported that Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha purchased a special edition Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 for R1.2 million. Mathabatha added additional features such as snazzy metallic black paint for R62,360, R3,070 for smash-and-grab tinted windows and R12,443 for an extended maintenance plan.
Mathabatha did not spend the most taxpayer money though, that honour went to Limpopo health MEC Phophi Ramathuba who spent R1.2 million on a Range Rover Sport and loaded it with R90,000 worth of extras.
These extras include items such as: metallic paint for R4,900, ebony premium headlining for R5,600, alloy sparkle silver wheels for R14,300, double locking for R10,000, noble-plated paddle shift for R600, a rear-view camera for R8,700, an electric deployable tow-bar costing R14,400, and VPS paint protection film and smash and grab film worth R18,972.
The other nine MEC’s spent the following:
Agriculture MEC - Joyce Mashamba
Car: Mercedes-Benz ML 350.
Cost: R941 513.
Extras: Strobe lights, smash and grab film – R16,131.
Transport MEC - Makoma Makhurupetje
Car: Mercedes-Benz GLE 350.
Cost: R1.2 million.
Extras: Panoramic sunroof, VPS & smash and grab film – R47,008.
Economic Development MEC - Charles Sekoati
Car: VW Touareg 4.2 TDI.
Cost: R1.17 million.
Extras: Four-year maintenance plan – R93,939.
Education MEC - Ishmael Kgetjepe
Car: Mercedes-Benz GLE 350D.
Cost: R1.11 million.
Extras: None listed.
Human Settlements MEC - Jerry Ndou
Car: Mercedes-Benz ML 400.
Cost: R740 848.
Extras: No specific upgrades revealed, but estimated R86,000 in total.
Social Development MEC - Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana
Car: Mercedes-Benz ML 400.
Cost: R740 848.
Extras: No specific upgrades revealed, but estimated R86,000 in total.
Sports and Culture MEC - Onicca Moloi
Car: Mercedes-Benz GLE 350D.
Cost: R1.2 million.
Extras: No extra features.
Finance MEC - Rob Tooley
Car: Lexus RX350
Cost: R783 560.
Extras: None.
Smalle called on Mathabatha to resign and said the DA was shocked by the report.
Smalle said: “Mathabatha should have led by example and refrained from purchasing an expensive vehicle with extra features that the DA finds irrelevant.”
He said the report clearly proved that the Limpopo government did not care about the plight of ordinary people in the province and cared more about being seen in fancy cars.
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Source: Briefly News
