Nyandeni chief whip not entitled to use municipal car, UDM says

The UDM in Nyandeni municipality has accused council chief whip Nomnikelo Heyana of abusing council resources, claiming she had been using a branded municipal vehicle for several months, even though she was not entitled by law to receive a municipal vehicle.

UDM whip in the municipality, Khayalethu Tatani, told the Dispatch on Tuesday that Heyana for many months had been using a branded Toyota Corolla sedan that belonged to the municipality.

“We have been observing her for months now,” Tatani said.

“By law she is not entitled to be provided with a car. She has a driver who also opens doors for her and acts as a bodyguard.

“It has been happening for months now. She has used the car to attend a wedding.”

Tatani said according to their knowledge, the vehicle was assigned to be used by staff at the finance and HR departments and they were shocked that it was now being used by the chief whip.

“In her benefits, there is nothing that also states she should be getting a municipal vehicle.”

Tatani said they felt public funds were being wrongly used.

The Dispatch has seen a copy of a letter Tatani wrote to Nyandeni municipal manager Zama Masumpa recently on the matter.

In it, he demands answers as to why the vehicle was used by the municipality’s chief whip, how long she had been using it and whether she was entitled to use it for work or private matters.

“Can you please provide a legislation that allows this? If you do not have any, why is she using a municipal vehicle?

“Is not this abuse of public funds by the whip?”

He also demanded a log book for the vehicle, the amount of fuel used in the car every month.

Tatani also demanded an explanation on reports that the municipality was spending public funds on paying a private security company to guard Heyana’s home in Ngqeleni.

“In our knowledge, there is no security report tabled before council and no security threat report from the SA Police Service,” he argued in the letter.

Tatani, who serves in the municipality’s ethics and members’ interests committee, said unofficially, they had been informed of a possible threat to Heyana’s life but they had insisted that a report should first be tabled in council. However, that had not happened.

“She is abusing her power of office and misusing public funds now for her personal benefit,” Tatani claimed.

When contacted Masumpa and Heyana declined to comment.

Instead, both referred the Dispatch to municipal spokesperson Ncebakazi Kolwane.

Questions were sent to her on Tuesday morning but she had not yet responded by print deadline.