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The ongoing failure of Dawid Kruiper municipality to maintain its fleet has collapsed municipal service delivery.

In just over two months, backlogged requisitions for vehicle repairs grew from 500 to approximately 900. About 400 of the requisitions are for the repair and replacement of flat tyres alone. Despite a small reprieve in June, when the municipality attended to at least 78 flat tyres after the Democratic Alliance (DA) exposed the backlog, the burst of activity has proven to be superficial. Currently, only about 10 of the outstanding 900 requisitions have been loaded onto the system.

The refuse truck has been out of operation since March and is one of many vehicles waiting in line for tyres. The municipal bulldozer has been standing idle for six months because there is no order number to have the pump repaired. This has impacted on service delivery in Dakota Way, where the municipality’s inability to remove boulders is preventing the development of sewerage services.

The lack of operational vehicles is not just affecting services but is also contributing to the municipality paying exorbitant amounts for overtime, due to the limited availability of vehicles to get work done during working hours.

The lack of repairs is the result of the Supply Chain Management (SCM) Unit’s failure to effectively manage the ordering of parts. Where the SCM does order parts, they are also paying inflated prices. In one incident, municipal officials were willing to pay R4000 for a hydraulic jack, which goes for R280, before the workshop intervened. This just goes to show the extreme ineptness of the respective SCM officials. On top of this, unpaid accounts are piling up with many establishments no longer prepared to do business with the municipality.

The DA has consistently raised this matter in Council, in Committee and with the Municipal Manager but things are only getting worse. SCM personnel do not have the requisite expertise to order parts, and to ensure that they pay market-related prices for them. They also do not care about effecting their duties to the best of their ability.

To fix this situation, the municipality needs to implement the DA’s proposal to include one or two officials, with knowledge of mechanics in SCM. The DA will continue to push for a resolution.

We also encourage residents of Dawid Kruiper to make sure they are properly registered to vote. Its time to place an order for a DA local government that is committed to getting things done.

Issued by The DA