POLOKWANE – It is not clear as to when the system will kick in, but the Polokwane Municipality says it has already appointed a service provider to operate the system.
Some of the places the municipality says the system will be implemented in are the Civic Centre, Thabo Mbeki Street – adjacent the Civic Centre park with the entrance at KFC, Shoprite near Market and Thabo Mbeki Streets, as well as between Hans van Rensburg and Schoeman Streets.
Municipal spokesperson, Tidimalo Chuene, says the system was never discontinued. This is despite the fact that it has not been implemented for over a year.
“The system was never discontinued. The previous contract came to an end. A tender was then advertised, and an appointment has just been made for a service provider(s) to continue managing the metered parking,” she said in a written reply.
The previous service provider, Servest, was on occasions accused of exploiting workers. The municipality says it is up to the labour department to ensure workers are not exploited.
“The municipality only enters into a contract and terms that relate to provision of services. While it is in the best interest of the municipality to have a properly run company to manage parking, it is for the Department of Labour to ensure labour conditions and related matters are handled in a manner that does not exploit workers,” said Chuene.
Attempts to speak to Servest for comment were unsuccessful by the time of going to print.
