Purchase of Premier's vehicle not in defiance of cabinet directive - office of NW Premier
06 Jan 2014
The vehicle purchased for North West Premier Thandi Modise was not acquired in defiance to a cabinet directive as alleged in an article published on the front page of The Sunday Times of Sunday, 5 January 2013 under the headline," Premier cocks snook at Pravin's cost cutting on cars," the Office of the Premier retorted on Monday (see report).
In dismissing the article as not only disingenuous, but a mischievous piece that is aimed at tarnishing the image of the Premier as part of a cheap political ploy, the Office of the Premier said that the allegations are not only absurd but malicious because the vehicle was already on order when the Minister of Finance announced austerity plans in his the mid-term budget speech delivered on the 23 October 2013.
The said vehicle was not purchased on the Premier's instruction as the article suggests.
The decision to purchase the BMW 750i that cost R1,3 million was taken by the Provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport and was below the 70% limit prescribed by the ministerial handbook as the official vehicle that was used by the Premier's predecessor had exceeded the maximum 120 000 kilometers it had to travel and experienced constant mechanical breakdowns that compromised the security of the Premier.
The Premier had for the past four months used the official vehicle allocated to the MEC for Public Works, Roads and Transport and had not put MEC Raymond Elisha and any official under pressure for the ordered vehicle to be delivered.
We wish to dismiss with the contempt that it deserves the suggestion by Democratic Alliance Provincial leader Chris Hattingh that officials were put under pressure to deliver the vehicle before the Premier's birthday on the 25 December.
Although Premier Modise was not well and did not enjoy much of her birthday and Christmas festivities, she would have found better things to do than celebrate her birthday in a state vehicle.
Hattingh is clutching at straws in his usual theatrics and political opportunism because it is common knowledge that the vehicle could not have been delivered by the 12 December if it was ordered after the 23 October 2013.
The paper and Hattingh' disappointment is that no additional extras were ordered with the vehicle which was ordered through the national treasury contract hence no mention this is made of this in the article.
We challenge Hattingh to prove allegations of extravagant expenditure by Premier Modise which are unfounded and a figment of his imagination aimed at discrediting her track record of clean governance, fighting greed and corruption.
The statement that Premier Modise was one of group of ANC leaders that unsuccessfully campaigned for the current political leadership to be ousted when she accepted nomination towards the Mangaung conference raises the question whether the Sunday Times understands ANC internal democratic processes.
It also raises the question as to whether the paper is part of those in the media who are pursuing an agenda to project the ruling party as a weak and divided ahead of elections.
Statement issued by Lesiba Moses Kgwele, Spokesperson, North West Provincial Government, January 6 2013
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