A lack of operational municipal vehicles has again raised concerns about the level of service delivery not only in Edenvale but across Ekurhuleni.
During a visit to the fleet maintenance vehicle depot, located in Eastleigh, at least 30 City of Ekurhuleni vehicles were seen at the facility.
Ward 19’s Alderman Bill Rundle, a member of the transport planning oversight committee said that some of the vehicles had been at the workshop for two years.
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Last November Rundle said one of the contributing factors to service delivery deterioration is the challenges faced by the city’s fleet management workshop division.
“There are large shortages of rolling staff and vehicles, which leads to departments such as EMPD not being able to transport personnel or other departments not being able to transport material or equipment.”
One of the contributing factors to service delivery deterioration is challenges faced by the city’s fleet management workshop division.
The vehicles which filled the municipal workshop’s yard included bakkies, several cherry pickers, a grab truck and two tractors.
Many of the vehicles had flat tires, exterior damage and expired or no licence disks while some of the trucks were missing batteries.
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One bakkie appeared as if it had been in a collision.
Besides the plethora of vehicles, countless tyres, in varying conditions, could be found at the depot.
According to Rundle, the depot is fully equipped and fully staffed.
“It is also a pilot project of the metro and what they intend to do with its workshops,” said Rundle.
According to information from Ward 18 Ald Heather Hart, from the August 30 ordinary council meeting, several depots in Edenvale lack the correct number of vehicles.
For example, out of the 23 vehicles required by the waste depot, five are operational.
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Some of the 18 vehicles which are reportedly in the workshop include compactors, grab trucks, skip loaders, passenger carriers as well as a Tractor-Loader-Backhoe (TLB).
Edenvale Park Depot is meant to have a fleet of 34 vehicles, comprised of trucks, tractors, trailers, and other equipment.
Out of the park’s fleet, only seven vehicles are operational, while the remaining 27 are either in fair, bad, or scrapped condition.
Eighteen of the 27 parks deport vehicles, flagged for repairs, are currently in the workshop. These include tractors, trucks, tipper trucks, bakkies, grab trucks and trailers.
Rundle said the average availability of vehicles across the metro is 25% of what should be available.
“EMPD Edenvale is meant to have 18 vehicles of which they only have 25% at times.
He said both Edenvale’s water and energy depot should have 35 vehicles each.
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Highlighting some of the challenges faced by the fleet, Rundle said “There is confirmation of a service provider.
“Many of the service providers had their contracts terminated and we are not aware of any new service providers being appointed.”
He said effectively only one workshop, located in Germiston, operates efficiently.
“The entire budget to refurbish workshops was taken away and placed with the Germiston workshop.”
Rundle said because of the lack of operational vehicles the metro hires required vehicles as well as drivers.
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He said it can cost the municipality R2000 to hire one truck per day.
Request for comment was sent to the City of Ekurhuleni on September 4 requesting comment by September 6 at 13:30.
At the time of going to print no comment was received.
