The City of Ekurhuleni’s police department is reportedly facing shortages of roadworthy response vehicles.
The Boksburg EMPD precinct is said to be among the badly affected branches in the City, where a substantial number of officers are left without vehicles to respond to complaints.
EMPD officers are said to be in certain instances forced to use their own vehicles for official duties, as poor fleet management has led to many police vehicles being taken off the roads.
According to well-placed sources, scores of police unroadworthy vehicles are parked, waiting for regular service, mechanical repairs and licence disc renewals.
This has left officers incapable of carrying out their essential duties, such as responding to crimes as well as providing visible policing.
One of the police sources said whenever they complain, management tells them that there is not enough money to get their official vehicles back on the roads.
Early in May, last year, the Advertiser (https://bit.ly/3LPPZBR) reported that the EMPD officers had been left without vehicles for months as a result of delayed repairs and maintenance of EMPD vehicles due to lack of money.
Nine months later, it appears that the problem persists.
The Advertiser reached out to the EMPD spokesperson for an explanation as to why the department is facing a shortage of vehicles, but she has not yet responded to the Advertiser’s media enquiry.
This publication also previously reported that memos sent to the different metro departments last year, which have been seen by this publication, attest to the worrisome vehicle issue within the metro.
The documents indicate the problem is also exacerbated by the EMPD vehicles’ outstanding traffic fines, which have led to delays in motor vehicle licence renewals and many EMPD vehicles being taken off the road.
Union members urged to refrain from using unroadworthy vehicles
Following the recent metro bus crash at the Boksburg Civic Centre Clinic and other vehicle-related issues, the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) sent a memo to all its members, urging them not to use the metro vehicles that are in an unroadworthy state.
Part of the memo reads: “I need to inform everyone of a huge problem within the City of Ekurhuleni, which is the state of licence discs for our council vehicles. In a letter from fleet and maintenance, it was stated they are experiencing a huge problem with the issuing of new licence discs for council vehicles, and this has now led to many of the council vehicles’ licence discs not being renewed.”
The union also stated it is aware that many employees are still using unlicensed and unroadworthy vehicles to do their duties.
“Please stop using them as a matter of urgency. On April 6 there was an accident at the Boksburg Civic Centre Clinic where a bus crashed into people, and two people lost their lives. The notice stated the bus lost its brakes, but if that bus was unroadworthy for whatever reason and yet still being used, the driver will have a huge problem and so will the City of Ekurhuleni,” said Imatu in the memo.
The Advertiser is awaiting the metro’s response on the issues raised regarding EMPD vehicles.
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