Statement by Kingsol Chabalala MPL – DA Emfuleni Mayoral Candidate:
- The DA can reveal that the real cost of the Malema Emfuleni Fleet scandal is R34,784,018.36.
- This procurement total is more than double the widely reported R16 million.
- The truth is that the rot in Emfuleni runs deeper than one can imagine.
Emfuleni residents deserve clarity on what the actual cost of the municipal fleet scandal is, as it continues to dominate public attention, and now they have those answers.
The municipality’s documented total payment was R34,784,018.36, not R16 million.
This amount was recorded back in 2023, when the DA tabled questions asking how much the municipality paid for the fleet in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. This figure appears in the official response to Legislature Question 5, COGTA 019, dated 6 April 2023 and signed by Municipal Manager April Ntuli.
Recent reporting describes an alleged R16 million fleet tender fraud case involving 18 vehicles, of which investigators reportedly say only seven were delivered.
However, the leading total of R16 million cannot accurately account for the whole amount the municipality had spent on the infamous fleet.
It seems that the fleet needs to be tracked, but so do the millions. Why is there such a large gap between the R16 million reported and the R34 million recorded in official documents? Where is the rest of the money?
The controversy intensifies as the procurement bill is much larger than what was initially thought.
We call on Emfuleni Municipality and the relevant authorities to explain the difference between these figures, reconcile the vehicle numbers, and publish a complete account of payments, deliveries, ownership, recoveries and outstanding assets.
Residents deserve to know where every vehicle is, who authorised each payment, and what action is being taken to recover any losses.
If elected to govern Emfuleni, I would pursue accountability for municipal losses. Our manifesto commits that the DA will ensure that municipal accounting officers personally repay losses caused by their actions or, in some cases, their failure to act.
Any wrongdoing established through investigation must result in criminal convictions.