The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Sol Plaatje will oppose the possible procurement of any new vehicles for political office bearers, pending the seizure of two municipal vehicles as per a court-ordered write of execution delivered in the Kimberley High Court last week.
The matter stems from the municipality’s failure to pay a small business just over R800 000 for services rendered in June 2023. It emphasises the fragile financial status of the municipality and echoes the Auditor General’s reservations that the municipality could continue as a going concern.
A municipality should have sufficient cash on hand to cover expenses for three months. Sol Plaatje doesn’t have enough cashflow to cover one month’s expenditure and must therefore choose which creditors to pay and which payments to defer. This is why Sol Plaatje has repeatedly failed to meet its obligations to Eskom and why it takes over a year to pay creditors, according to the Auditor General.
It is inexcusable that small businesses, that form the backbone of the economy, are suffering due to non-payment and that a service provider had to turn to the court to receive payment.
The DA will recommend to council that, if the two attached vehicles belonging to the mayor and speaker are attached and auctioned by the Sheriff of the Court, the burden should not again be placed on the cash-strapped municipality to procure more SUVs. Last year, the speaker’s vehicle was replaced at unnecessary cost due to a controversial motor vehicle accident outside the boundaries of the municipality. Money should rather be spent on procurement of sewage trucks, refuse trucks and grabber trucks for service delivery.
Implementation of a cost saving measure, such as the political office bearers procuring their own vehicles and making use of facilities like tax rebates or using the existing passenger vehicle fleet, would also in no way harm service delivery.
The DA will request MPAC for a report on the status of all court cases in which the municipality is party, as council was not taken into confidence regarding the current matter.