Note to Editors: Please note Tim Brauteseth, MPL sound bite in English
Yesterday’s KwaZulu Natal (KZN) Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) meeting saw Wesbank and National Treasury summoned to account for the severe breakdown in critical provincial fleet management – which includes ambulances, police vehicles and school buses – under the RT46 transversal contract.
The DA, as a responsible partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), welcomes the strides made by SCOPA in this regard and notes these developments as a major win for accountability in governance in our province.
The hearing saw KZN SCOPA Chairperson, Tim Brauteseth, confront Wesbank National Head of Contracts, Marcellus Mbanda, with allegations that a senior SAPS Brigadier had been involved in a corrupt scheme to favour certain auto repair shops with SAPS vehicle repairs. This arrangement allegedly led to those involved buying luxury houses and vehicles including a Lamborghini.
Mbanda admitted knowledge of the scheme and advised that a number of WesBank employees had been disciplined. He further advised that the relevant information on the Brigadier had been forwarded to senior SAPS structures for further action. In addition, all suppliers involved in the scheme had been blacklisted.
The revelations come on the back of a grim picture painted by several provincial government departments;
• KZN’s Department of Health (DoH) reported chronic ambulance downtime, with significant delays in inspections, prolonged vehicle retention at dealerships, substandard repairs and repeated failures by WesBank to enforce quality assurance, allocate work appropriately, or ensure timely authorisations. This has all compromised emergency medical response and endangered lives across our province and;
• KZN’s Department of Education (DoE) demonstrated how lengthy repair delays have left dozens of school buses grounded for weeks and, in some cases, months. This has heavily impacted on buses for learners with disabilities in particular and also resulted in learners missing classes or families being forced to seek alternative transport at personal cost.
To compound the situation, more than 750 SAPS vehicles are stuck in garages across KZN due to slow inspections, poor merchant vetting, and late authorisations.
SCOPA emphasised that these failures have had a direct and unacceptable impact on public safety, service delivery, and the wellbeing of communities.
The committee made it clear that both WesBank and National Treasury – as custodian of the RT46 contract – bear responsibility for the collapse of fleet readiness across multiple departments.
With the RT46 2020 contract expiring and the incoming contract holder, AfriRent, set to assume responsibility under RT46 2026, SCOPA has directed that AfriRent report to the committee at least twice annually, starting next month. This requirement will ensure strict parliamentary oversight, improved transparency, and sustained pressure to guarantee that more ambulances, police vehicles, and school buses remain operational and available to serve KZN’s people.