There could be two explanations for someone spending double the amount that he should, on a particular product either the product is needed with desperate urgency, or there is a hidden, corrupt agenda, with siphoning of funds involved at some level.

The exposé in mid-day’s front page report yesterday, which said that BMC has been spending nearly R12,000 to temporarily repair a pothole, where it takes only R7,000 to construct a square metre of cement concrete road, leaves very little doubt as to which of the two explanations is applicable in this case.