The purchase - and overnight loss - of a luxury Mercedes-Benz worth almost R1-million has landed Gauteng MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko with a lot of explaining to do.
The fresh controversy, which follows that of Transport Minister S'bu Ndebele and his R1-million Merc, broke at the weekend and centred around a rare ML 63 AMG which the MEC for agriculture, conservation and environment insisted on taking home on Friday afternoon.
The story began a few weeks back when Nkomo-Ralehoko's husband, Sydney, allegedly spotted the white Mercedes-Benz SUV on the showroom of the Alberton-based Bez Mega Motors. The car belonged to one of the dealership's directors and cost more than R1-million new. It had a custom number plate - 010 BEZ GP - and stood on display while its owner was away.
Negotiations began and it was agreed that Nkomo-Ralehoko would buy the car for R920 000, the price reduced because it was secondhand.
Steve Hart, the group's general manager, went to work, and within a week, Bez Mega Motors was registered as a government vendor and able to accept electronic payment. In the meantime, the car's ownership was changed and all the paperwork completed.
On Friday, Hart received a request to release the car - sold as an official state vehicle - into Sydney's possession. He felt uneasy about this and called the department to seek advice.
Soon, a letter arrived from Nkomo-Ralehoko - signed and on an official government letterhead - instructing him to allow Sydney to "collect my car Mercedes-Benz ML63 on my behalf".
After receiving payment, Hart had a colleague follow Sydney to their Tulisa Park, Alberton, home, after which he considered the transaction finished. Hart had dealt with the newly appointed MEC only once - when the letter was sent. The rest of the time, he had dealt with her department.
On Saturday afternoon, Nkomo-Ralehoko, her husband and a police officer stormed into the dealership, announcing that the car had been stolen in a house robbery a few hours earlier.
Nkomo-Ralehoko's spokesperson, Tshepo Shawa, said five or six men had attacked Sydney at gunpoint and taken the car. Nkomo-Ralehoko was not at home at the time.
There have been unconfirmed reports that Sydney was attacked in the driveway - which raises questions again on why he was driving the car.
Hart was questioned as to why there was no tracker on the vehicle and whether it was insured.
The police probed for the possibility of an inside job.
But Hart explained that his insurance cover did not require a tracker to be installed and that, because the sale was cash, the insurance responsibility lay with the new owner the minute the car was collected.
Shawa confirmed the Mercedes-Benz was "an official vehicle", but would not answer the following questions:
# Why an official vehicle was driven by the MEC's husband.
# Why there was a rush to collect it on a Friday afternoon.
# Why the car was stored at the MEC's house.
# Whether it had been insured in time or whether the money would not be recovered.
# How the car was chosen, and why such a rare and expensive one was bought as an official vehicle.
# And whether the purchase followed government procedure.
Shawa said the case was being investigated by the police.
