Tshwane tied to ‘bad’ R1.7 billion fleet deal
MMC for corporate and shared services Cilliers Brink said the metro was stuck with the billion-rand Tshwane fleet deal until 2021.
Tshwane metro is locked in a municipal fleet deal worth R1.7 billion that will run until 2021, it has confirmed.
MMC for corporate and shared services Cilliers Brink told Rekord that the contract was not just for motorcycles but for the repair, maintenance and lease of all city vehicles.
Last week, the ANC released a statement in which it lamented the “exorbitant contract” to lease the motorbikes for the metro police, labelling it a “horrible and corrupt activity”.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo told Rekord that the contract was in fact entered into by the previous administration, leading to the ANC pointing a finger back saying that the party was no longer in power and cast aspersions over the terms of the contract.
ALSO READ: Taxi drivers given a chance in Central
Brink said the DA had expressed its deepest concerns about the contract in January 2016 when it was presented to council and passed by the ANC which was in the majority.
“On the surface the allegations are correct, and the DA-led multiparty administration shares the concern of the ANC about a fleet contract that costs us so much to lease TMPD motorcycles.”
He said not only was there concern about the contract but “we have taken active steps to extricate the city from an irregular agreement and a bad deal for ratepayers”.
“Because the contract is so exorbitantly expensive, the city started purchasing its own vehicles instead of leasing them.”
This attempt was, however, met with court action by one of the three service providers under the contract according to Brink.
ALSO READ: Maintenance backlogs worsen east electricity woes
“The city has defended these court actions and will continue to fight for value-for-money services for ratepayers’ money and our own fleet.”
He said service providers had been issued with several contravention notices under the contract for their failure to meet adequate standards.
“We are taking the entire contractual agreement under judicial review, and being a lengthy process, is only scheduled to be heard in court next month.”
Cilliers said the administration had taken “drastic steps to fix the corporate fleet management division, as well as the state of the fleet, after the broken and dilapidated state the ANC left it in”.
He said when the DA took over there was no comprehensive fleet asset register, virtually no vehicles were fitted with tracking devices (despite a service provider being paid to do so).
“There were no competent fleet management personnel, no driver accountability, no fuel management, and our workshops were in a complete state of disrepair,” said Brink.
He said the picture was now completely different.
“The corporate fleet division is staffed with competent fleet and asset management professionals, our asset register comprises over 5 000 motorised and non-motorised fleet units.
“More than 3 000 vehicles are fitted with tracking devices, loss and damage committees have been established in every department to hold drivers accountable. Our fuel depots have been installed with the latest fuel management technology, and our workshops are steadily being re-equipped and staffed to serve our fleet needs.”
ALSO READ: New mayor warned by ANC, EFF
Cilliers said Tshwane’s fleet was “almost unrecognizable when one compares it with the chaotic mess the ANC left it in 2016”.
“We have not yet wiped out the legacy of incompetence and irregularity which characterized the years of ANC maladministration, but every day we get a step closer.”
Brink said, however, any contribution the ANC made was welcomed.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
