THE ANC in the Josiah Gumede region in Ladysmith, KZN, is calling for heads to roll after a municipal vehicle was found damaged beyond repair.
They said according to their findings, the vehicle, which belongs to the uThukela District Municipality, had a horrific accident in Ladysmith on Friday, 13 January.
The occupant escaped with no injuries.
It is alleged that the driver is an IFP council member who is not a full-time councillor.
They said this means the driver was not authorised to drive the municipal vehicle.
“It is worrying that the municipality has not issued any formal statement pertaining to this matter. Their ally, the DA, has also not said anything. It’s worrying that they are as quiet as a mouse on this matter that we believe is of public interest,” said regional spokesman, Bheki Khanyile.
He said the question is whether the council man was authorised to use the vehicle.
“Sources consulted revealed that he is not a full-time councillor, so he doesn’t qualify to use the municipal vehicle,” he said.
Khanyile said they are demanding an investigation into this behaviour.
The uThukela District Municipality spokeswoman, Nothile Zwane, confirmed that the car that was involved in the accident was indeed one of their vehicles.
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She said the report they got is that the vehicle’s brakes failed and it crashed into a rock.
“We have a problem with our fleet, this is not hidden. Our fleet is very old and we believe this is the result of using old cars. When the new administration took over the municipality, there was a lot of debt which is the main cause of not buying new cars, “ said Zwane.
She said that the municipality will buy a new fleet once they are financially stable.
Responding to allegation that the driver was not a full-time councillor, Zwane said the councillor who was assigned that car is the chair of the water department.
“He is one of our employees and the car worked as his backup. But the council will sit and that’s when a detailed report will be discussed,” said Zwane.
