R700k Paperweight: Sedibeng Mayor Refuses to Drive Luxury Car

• Sedibeng mayor Lerato Maloka allegedly refuses to drive her R700 000 luxury Mercedes Benz purchased for official use
• According to a parliamentary answer to a question submitted by the DA, the mayor had a number of objections to the vehicle
• The colour had been changed but she still had concerns over the procurement of the vehicle and refused to drive it

PRETORIA - The DA wants answers after it was revealed that the mayor of Sedibeng, Lerato Maloka, allegedly refuses to drive her R700 000 luxury Mercedes Benz which had been purchased for her to use in an official capacity.

MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) Lebogang Maile replied to a written question submitted by the DA. He said that the car had not been bought "according to specification".

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He insisted that all the correct procedures were followed when the car had been purchased for Maloka and the total cost came in at R696 611.

According to TimesLIVE, Maloka had not been happy with the colour of the car and it was wrapped in gloss black vinyl at an additional cost of R29 300.

However, her refusal to use the car was not just its appearance but that she had raised concerns over the procurement of the vehicle.

She will continue to use her predecessor's car until her concerns are addressed. DA MPL, Kingsol Chabalala called the entire situation ridiculous.

The Sowetan LIVE reported that the DA said that it was a complete waste of money and said that the mayor should spend less on luxuries and focus on service delivery.

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Porsche leads the race in South Africa's luxury car sales sector

Earlier, Briefly News reported that there was good news to take from the new car sales and vehicle export data in February 2022. Local new vehicle sales last month saw 44 229 units registered, an increase of 6 860 units, or 18,4%, from the number of vehicles sold in February 2021.

Export sales, encouragingly, also recorded an increase of 3 590 units, or 12,3%, to 32 867 units in February 2022 compared to the 29 277 vehicles exported in February 2021. Light commercial vehicles were up 9.4% to 12 290 units compared to February last year. Some of the best-selling cars were from brands like Toyota, Suzuki, Isuzu, Volkswagen and Renault.

If we turn our attention to the upper end of the market, the ultra-luxurious brands that many celebrities own, those sales figures make for interesting reading.

Source: Briefly News