The DA in eThekwini calls on the municipality to launch an initiative where the public can report irregular use of municipal resources.
This comes after an oversight visit at the City Fleet Western Depot on Circuit Road in Westmead. The team, led by Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, identified issues with the service and maintenance of all Volkswagen models.
At least 22 vehicles of different VW models, were parked at the Western Depot alone, where a simple front brake replacement can take 7 to 14 days.
This impacts negatively on service delivery. Metro Police, water and sanitation, DSW and other units perform below par, largely due to the unavailability of critical resources such as vehicles.
HOD Malcolm Joshua blamed the delays on supply chain management requirements when prior supplier contracts expired in January 2023.
Since then, the department has relied on the short-term tender system, which cuts response time to seven days while allowing any and all service providers on the municipal data system to respond.
This is partly due to the municipality’s aversion to directly contacting VWSA due to the price disparity between OEM and aftermarket parts.
While the City Fleet Unit is confident that the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) will soon approve new contracts, the unit will make every effort to stock internal stores with high-demand service parts rather than relying on ad hoc purchases for repairs that are not reported by municipal staff but are discovered in the workshop.
The delegation’s visit was clearly anticipated, and the facility had been prepared for the visit, as the depot did not reflect what councillors had observed at other depots or the horror stories told by frustrated officials in line departments who are unable to do their work due to vehicle shortages.