Specialised vehicles for service delivery

The City of Johannesburg has launched a R247-million fleet of 346 specialised vehicles to boost service delivery across all departments.

Out of the 346, 115 were handed over on 31 July at a ceremony held at the Nasrec Expo Centre. The other vehicles were distributed to departments before the event.

City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba said the purchase followed after a needs analysis was conducted. “The vehicles are responding to the needs of the City. I like the approach we had when we decided on outright purchase of the vehicles and saving at least more than half of the money that was initially going to be spent,” he said.

Mashaba further said that the recent purchase would also address the infrastructure backlog experienced in the City at a faster pace. “There are 18 new specialised vehicles for the Johannesburg Roads Agency which will deal specifically with potholes, refurbishment of tar roads and building of new infrastructure.”

MMC for Group Corporate and Shared Services Ntombi Khumalo said a purchase order was issued to a fleet service provider early this year based on the approved Fleet Replacement Plan for the 2018/19 financial year. “No administration is judged solely on its promises, but always on its ability to deliver on them. Therefore, it gave me great pleasure to hand over the vehicles to the City of Johannesburg’s entities and departments. This is another feather in the cap of this proficient multiparty administration,” said Khumalo.

Khumalo said the new fleet will ensure that, among other things, delays in responding to power failures, faulty cables and cable thefts, which endanger communities, would be attended to timeously and efficiently.

“As we know, potholes have been a cause for daily frustration to our motorists, causing massive damages to vehicles. Consequently, they have caused traffic jams and accidents. The introduction of the new specialised vehicles and equipment will ensure that all identified potholes are filled speedily and effectively,” she said.

Khumalo acknowledged that the City had a long way to go to deliver change to residents.

She concluded, “For many, the change can be seen but is yet to be felt. Our multiparty government recognises this and is driven by the potential to fulfil the expectations and the mandate given to us by residents.”

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