I have written before about the purchase of 10 new BMW 320i luxury motorcars by the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality at a cost of R3,2 million. I do not dispute the fact that traffic and law enforcement officers need speedy vehicles in order to respond to complaints quickly, however these entry-level BMW vehicles are not “high performance” as claimed, and many other vehicles of a similar or lower price have much better performance. Secondly, if luxury vehicles were chosen, why did we not purchase vehicles from Mercedes Benz? Mercedes Benz plays a major role in the economy of BCMM, and therefore the council should show support to them over other luxury German brands.
A major concern I have is that BCMM has failed to hold standing-committee meetings to date. If this issue came to a standing committee, it would allow councillors to perform their oversight role mandated by the constitution and question the choice of these cars. Without these standing-committee meetings, the role of councillors as public representatives becomes eroded.
As I believe the ratepayers of Buffalo City have a right to know why these vehicles were chosen, I have submitted a formal question on this matter to the Municipal Manager and Mayor and request that this question, and any answers provided, form part of the Agenda of the next full Council Meeting.
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