A war of words is brewing between the ANC and the DA in the Polokwane local municipal council over a contentious plan by the ANC to purchase a luxury vehicle for its chief whip.
The bickering started after the ANC placed an item on the council agenda to buy its chief whip a luxury vehicle at a cost of R700 000. The proposal was, however, opposed by the council’s third biggest political party, the DA. The opposition party claimed the move was not only expensive but also fruitless expenditure.
R700 000 car is ‘fiscal prudence’
Polokwane municipal spokesperson Thipa Selala told The Citizen on Friday that the municipality sees the car purchase as “fiscal prudence”.
“The position of whip of the council is not a political convenience, but a statutory municipal office-bearer role established in terms of Section 41A(1) of the local government.
“The municipality’s intended expenditure is fully compliant with this regulation, and in fact represents the lower threshold — ensuring fiscal prudence within the legally defined limits,” said Selala.
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He said the cost of the vehicle was drawn from the 2025/2026 council-approved fleet budget and not from service delivery allocations.
“It is therefore misleading to suggest that this procurement in any way diverts funds from essential municipal services. It must also be emphasised that municipal cost containment does not equate to the paralysis of institutional functionality.
“Tools of trade for designated office bearers are necessary for governance efficiency, oversight, coordination of council business, and constituency outreach — all of which are core to improving service delivery.
“Denying duly elected office bearers the lawful tools required to perform their duties would itself be a dereliction of institutional responsibility. Our municipality remains fully committed to the principles of transparency, fiscal discipline and effective service delivery, in line with the constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the MFMA’s objectives of sound financial management,” said Selala.
DA says municipal infrastructure and basic services collapsing
DA councillor Andre Botha said his party condemned the plan to buy the R700 000 vehicle for the chief whip.
“This expenditure is in direct conflict with the municipal cost containment regulations, gazetted by National Treasury, as well as with the municipality’s own cost containment policy. These regulations are designed to ensure that municipal resources are used effectively, efficiently, and economically, and to eliminate wastage of public funds on non-service delivery items. Every municipality is required to adopt and implement its own cost containment policy in line with these regulations,” Botha told The Citizen.
He said the municipality’s report to its Administration and Governance Portfolio Committee, which seeks to motivate the vehicle purchase, makes superficial reference to Treasury’s regulations but fails to comply with its own policy.
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This policy, he said, requires the accounting officer to provide council with, among other things, information on the extent of service delivery backlogs before such expenditure is approved.
“Beyond our principled opposition to allocating a dedicated luxury vehicle to the chief whip, the DA cannot in good conscience support this proposal when essential municipal infrastructure and basic services are collapsing across Polokwane.
“Service delivery must take precedence over luxury perks for political office-bearers. Should the ANC-led council proceed with this ill-conceived and unnecessary purchase, the DA will not hesitate to report the matter to Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Limpopo), as well as to the provincial and national Treasury,” said Botha.
Botha added: “What this decision ultimately exposes are the absence of moral leadership and conscience with which the ANC continues to govern.”
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