THE Bulawayo City Council has made a U-turn on the proposed purchase of a Mercedes-Benz ML for mayor Martin Moyo by cancelling the tender barely a week after it invited prospective suppliers of the vehicle amid reports that there are disagreements among top officials.
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The tender process had opened on Monday and was set to end next month.
However, yesterday council flighted an advertisement indicating that the tender had been cancelled without giving any explanation.
Council sources told Southern Eye yesterday that the tender had been mired in controversy.
“It was bound to happen (cancellation). Despite being a noble idea to buy the Mercedes-Benz, the whole process was rushed into without much consultation. Issues such as the choice of the Mercedes-Benz have to be explained. Normally at least three vehicle types should have been considered, but one was proposed. So in this case we cannot rule out sabotage,” said a council official familiar with the process.
A brand new Mercedes-Benz ML costs $60 000 and above. Moyo, who is in his second term as councillor, was elected mayor after the July 31 elections last year.
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The current mayoral pool car includes a modest Mazda BT50.
The official added that the tender was being reworked.
“The relevant department will look into the whole issue after the holidays. The new tender is most likely to come out with a new vehicle type. The problem is there is no specific vehicle designated for mayors.
“You might recall that the previous two mayors had different cars. Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube had a Mercedes-Benz and council bought Thaba Moyo a Dodge. There is need for consistency,” the official said.
