The Midlands Herald Page 3 — December 2008

Vilakazi to face six charges

“I’m confident that I will win this case again”
Left:
Interviewed by The Witness
uMngeni following a car accident on 2nd August
municipal 2008, Mr Vilakazi expressed
manager, confidence that he once again would
Dumisani
Vilakazi.
get off his drunken driving charge in
the courts.
He had denied that his previous
arrest and the present one are damaging
uMngeni municipality manager Dumisani
his reputation. “This won’t damage my
Vilakazi’s case involving six charges against
reputation, because I’m confident that
him has been set down for trial on 13th
I will win this case again,” he said.
February, including five new charges added Above and above right: uMngeni Municipality’s municipal manager, Dumisani Vilakazi wrote off his
As Mr Vilakazi was driving on the Mercedes Benz near Mooi River on 2nd August 2008. When it was extricated from the rear of the truck
to that of driving under the influence of
southbound lane of the N3 he rammed into which he crashed, the bonnet remained stuck under the vehicle (photo on right).
alcohol — resisting arrest, assault, failing
into the back of a heavy vehicle and
to obey the instructions of a traffic officer, a breathalyser test. He was first put into an
his car became wedged under it. as the traffic officers were said to have feared
malicious damage to property and refusal to ambulance for a medical check-up but was
When the car was finally extricated, that if they took him to a Howick doctor, he
take a breathalyser test. transferred to a police van in handcuffs since
the whole bonnet was left stuck under might interfere with the test results.
the truck. he was resisting arrest. In 2003, traffic police of uMngeni — Mr
Following the accident on the N3 According to an officer on the scene, it Vilakazi’s own staff — caught him driving
uMngeni’s near the Mooi River Toll Plaza, a traffic
officer allegedly smelt alcohol as he
took five men to subdue him and once in the
back of the police van, he proceeded
under the influence of alcohol.
In 2007, he was acquitted after the court
was helping Mr Vilakazi from his continually to kick at the door. found he was not driving on the night of the
fuel-saving vehicle. Mr Vilakazi is said to have
refused to comply when asked to take
Mr Vilakazi was taken to an Estcourt
doctor to have his blood tested for alcohol,
arrest. He claimed that his companion, who
was believed to be under age, was the driver.

elicits suspicion

N
ews of uMngeni Municipality’s
reduction of its monthly fuel bill by
a whopping 43% in just one month may
sound like very good news, but it’s aroused suspicion
too.
DA councillor Pam Passmoor discovered this
saving when comparing the August and September
Fleet Management reports.
She told The Herald that in normal circumstances
a municipality saving R100 000 for its ratepayers
would be admirable, but the fact that even the refuse
removal trucks, with no change of routine, had
reduced their fuel consumption by 50% was
HiQ
suspicious.
“I’m at a loss, for example,” she said, “to imagine
how a Honey Sucker responsible for emptying septic
tanks, with a 60% reduction in fuel consumption,
could have been used for other than legitimate
service.
“Since I doubt that it could have been used as a
taxi, I suspect that the driver’s petrol cards are being
abused.”
In the Management Cluster Committee meeting
of 15th October, the fleet controller confirmed her
suspicions by stating that they were aware of suspected
fraudulent activities and had removed the garage cards
from the staff.
They stressed that the garage and not the staff
Continued on page 4

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