Note to Broadcaster: Please find linked soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Cllr Arista Annandale.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Mahikeng Local Municipality has written to the Chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), Cllr Tshepiso Motshabi, requesting an investigation into municipal vehicles that have been at the mechanical workshop for more than a year. (See letter here.)
During the DA’s oversight inspection of Mahikeng’s mechanical workshop last week, it was discovered that a TLB vehicle that needed service had been there for more than a year. It has been harmed by severe weather, and the warranty has now expired. (See image here)
There have also been two Toyota trucks for more than a year (see image here). The vehicles’ turbochargers malfunctioned as a result of skipping their initial service. The supply chain procedure was delayed, therefore this couldn’t be handled.
The DA reported on a truck that got stuck at the Mahikeng dumping site in June last year and needed wheel nuts. Only last week was this automobile taken to the shop. (See statement here.)
Due to lax security measures at the premises, thieves have easy access, and as a result, the majority of the vehicles there currently lack batteries.
The management of the Directorate for Infrastructure stated in January 2023 that only one bo-mac roller, one plate compactor, one agrico equipment, one bakkie, four trucks, one grader, and two brush cutters were in use in November and December of 2022. Thus, Mahikeng’s residents were unable to benefit from the use of tar cutters, drive-on rollers, or TLB vehicles for at least two months, as during that time, the entire last-named machinery was at the workshop.
During a recent consultation with MPAC, the workshop’s management attributed the delay to the Supply Chain Directorate, claiming that payment to suppliers takes longer than the 30 days allowed by the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and that quotes are lost before payment is processed.
The DA will ask MPAC to find out why new vehicles are bought while the ones in the shop have minor errors that can be fixed. A critical issue that requires immediate action is the absence of maintenance on municipal vehicles.
The vehicles stuck at the workshop are impeding service delivery. We therefore request that the Municipal Manager (MM), Advocate Dineo Mongwaketse, conduct a skills audit of every employee working at the mechanical workshop and Supply Chain Directorate and take the necessary measures to ensure optimal performance.
The MM should additionally provide Council with a thorough strategy to guarantee that vehicles are serviced on schedule, suppliers are paid within the allotted 30 days, repairs are completed quickly, and security measures on the property are upgraded.
The mismanagement of public funds and shoddy work by municipal officials that lead to substandard service delivery should be stopped immediately.
The ANC-run municipality is merely emphasizing how they are solely concerned with manipulating the system to benefit themselves and their fellow cadres rather than carefully allocating public funds with the interests of the people of Mahikeng in mind.
The DA will keep fighting to ensure that residents receive the services to which they are constitutionally entitled.