E4 MILLION CARS FOR PM ALONE!

MBABANE – Government has spent about E4 million in purchasing two new vehicles for Prime Minister (PM) Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini.
Both top-of-the-range vehicles are 2014 models.

They are the super luxurious Range Rover Autobiography Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), worth about E1.9 million and the Mercedes Benz S600 which costs over E2.1 million.
The Range Rover was delivered to the PM a few months ago; he has attended several state duties while chauffeured in it.
The Mercedes Benz, yet to be delivered, was ordered by government a few weeks ago.

The vehicles are an upgrade and replacement of the PM’s aging fleet which includes a Toyota Prado and a Mercedes Benz S500 sedan.
The purchase of the new cars seems to be in line with the increased-spending oriented national budget, as delivered by Finance Minister Martin Dlamini when he read his maiden Budget Speech for financial year 2014/15.

In February, the minister said government’s total spending would be approximately 38 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and more funds would be borrowed to assist government reach the planned spending levels.
“Agreeing to spend more than we can receive has been a tough decision to take, together as government. However, such a stance is not uncommon, especially after an election year,” he said.

Government is purchasing vehicles for the PM, courtesy of Finance Circular No.2 of 2013.
This circular outlines politicians’ terms and conditions of service.
It contains a contract which provides that the state should cater for transportation needs of the PM and other politicians.
The spending on vehicles for the PM also goes together with the purchase of new BMW X5s for 18 ministers and two Parliament presiding officers. Government will spend over E17 million on these cars, which cost about E800 000 apiece.

Unlike ministers who will choose whether to purchase the state vehicles when their term of office elapses, the PM will simply take his fleet home.
Government will continue to service and maintain the PM’s cars, even when he is no longer PM.
Section 5.4 of the 2013 circular states that the state shall provide a vehicle to a retiring prime minister and his deputy of the same status as those that are in service.

These will be owned and maintained by the government during and beyond their term of office. The circular also states that on the death of the former Prime Minister or Deputy, the official car shall be sold to his estate at a depreciated value.
 The circular also states that the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister will also be allocated a driver and Royal Swazi Police escorts at the expense of Government.

His new Mercedes S600, which we shall mostly profile in this article, is one of the best luxury cars that money can buy.
The sedan has impressive technology, comfort and supreme luxury.

The top-of-the-range S-Class has a twin-turbocharged V8 engine and seven-speed automatic transmission.
Completely redesigned for the new model year (2014), the latest S-Class continues the tradition, with perhaps the most pampering cabin on the market and enough gadgetry to put technophiles in a state of utter bliss.

Auto critics agree that the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class interior has luxurious handsome, detailed stitching and beautiful wood and metal trim throughout, which give it an unmatched level of opulence among luxury sedans.
Mercedes has also made the sedan available with the closest thing yet to an autonomous driving system.

Known as Distronic Plus with Steering Assist and Stop and Go Pilot, using the cameras and multistage radar sensors, it can read the lines in the road and actually steer and brake the car by itself at lower speeds on relatively straight stretches of road.
That said, the seven-speed automatic gearbox vehicle is not very economic when it comes to fuel consumption as it consumes 13.6 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres.

Meanwhile, the 2014 Range Rover Autobiography is the long-wheelbase flagship vehicle from Britain-based Land Rover. Its power comes from a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine with auto stop and start technology.
It has myriad off-road technologies.

The Range Rover can negotiate lava-covered roadbeds, ford streams up to its hood line and ascend inclines that would intimidate a mountain goat.
Range Rover enthusiasts say the interior of the Ranger appears to be a mash up between a Gulfstream G650 business jet and a boutique hotel.
Special acoustically laminated windshield and side glass are joined by noise isolation material underneath, to help this Range Rover realise a seven per cent reduction in wind noise over the previous vehicle.

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