AUCTION FOR MINISTERS’ BMW X5S

MBABANE – Government will spend close to E3 million purchasing three BMW X5 Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) for newly-appointed ministers.

The ministers are; Edgar Hillary, Owen Nxumalo and Christopher Gamedze.
They were appointed to the ministry portfolios, Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Public Service as well as Tourism and Environmental Affairs. The vehicles used by their predecessors will be auctioned off.
According to latest information, in the BMW South Africa Group pricelist, the standard model of the BMW X5 XDrive 25D costs E974 100 and the price goes up to E1 042 900 for a performance model.

The model government is likely to purchase comes standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission gearbox and has a top speed of 220 kilometres per hour.
This information was confirmed by Prime Minister (PM) Sibusiso Dlamini.

In an interview, the PM said government was buying the cars in line with Finance Circular No.2 of 2013, a document that stipulates terms and conditions of service for the country’s politicians.
The circular provides that ministers and some politicians be bought new cars when they assume office.
The PM said it would be unfair not to purchase new cars for the ministers.

He said such an act would be in contravention of the circular.
“When all the other Cabinet members were appointed, they all got new cars, so the same principle applies to the new ministers.”
The PM also said when they left office, the new ministers, just like their senior colleagues, would be afforded the opportunity to purchase their cars from government at a depreciated value.
Makhosini Mndawe, Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said the process of acquiring the vehicles had begun.

He said they would be delivered to the ministers in the first week of February 2017.
According to the politician’s circular, on expiry of their term of office, ministers would be afforded the option to buy these vehicles from government - at a discounted price, taking into account depreciation in value.

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