Knysna Mayor Mark Willemse‚ announcing cost-cutting measures for his office‚ says he will cancel and return the rented mayoral vehicle.
The move will save approximately R14‚000 a month on the operational budget of the Mayor's office. This excludes the savings in staff costs for the driver‚ the Knysna Municipality announced on social media this week.
In January‚ the municipality "invited quotations" from suitable service providers for the hire of a Toyota Rav4 or similar for a period up to six months.
The requirements listed in the notice included that the price submitted should include insurance‚ maintenance and service; the rate should be fixed for the half-year hire period; it should have at least 4‚500 free kilometres per month; a fuel cost of R5‚000 should be included in price‚ with the final cost be amended as per actual use. The supplier was also asked to supply a fuel card.
Willemse is in the middle of a fight with his own party‚ the Democratic Alliance.
In the nearby town of Plettenberg Bay‚ meanwhile‚ mayor Peter Lobese was in hot water late last year for spending just short of R60‚000 per month to rent a Volvo SUV‚ with ratepayers money. The municipality defended this to the local newspaper‚ the Knysna Plett Herald‚ saying it was a short-term rental following a “traumatic accident” with the mayor's official vehicle‚ a BMW sedan.
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