The Govan Mbeki Municipality is under fire for spending R160 000 to upgrade the driver’s licence of four employees.
The municipality awarded a tender to a certain driving school to train four employees and upgrade their licenses at R40 000 each. The DA called on the municipal manager, Elliot Maseko, to investigate who paid the R160 000.
A report presented in the Human Resource Development Committee stated this amount was paid to a Secunda-based driving school. The report further indicated they trained the four employees over 20 days.
According to the DA, the standard price for securing a driver’s licence through a driving school ranges between R2 500 and R5 000.
The party said in a statement it is illogical to spend R160 000 on four driver licences when GMM owes more than R4b to its creditors and suffers from persistent water and electricity shortages.
The municipality concedes to paying that money, saying the four employees can now operate the newly procured bigger yellow fleet compactor trucks.
Donald Green, media liaison and content development officer, said all employees operating heavy machinery are required by the local government staff regulations to have the relevant qualifications or skills.
“These regulations are amplified in the municipality’s training and development policy and other applicable legislation.
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“To ensure adequate training of the employees, the GMM procured the services of a driving school to assist the employees.
“The municipality needed this intervention because of limitations such as their educational and language barrier. The driver’s licences had to be done through their mother tongue,” said Green.
This required a process of recognition of prior learning (RPL) because of the educational and language limitations of the employees for 25 days.
“The service provider was employed to ensure they acquired the relevant driver’s licence in 20 days.”
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The municipality upgraded its yellow fleet from trucks to compactor trucks and the employees at the date of their employment were required to have a Code 10. They need a Code EC (former Code 14) to operate the current compactor trucks.
“The municipality followed normal procurement processes appointing the service provider. Three bidders responded. One was disqualified because of non-compliance with SCM requirements. The lowest bidder was appointed,” said Green.
Green said the municipality as a caring employer is obliged to continually upscale its employees, either being professionalised or being able to perform their responsibilities effortlessly in their work.
Green said they gave employees with lower educational grades the opportunity to get higher grades without discrimination.
