NMB Metro to only buy waste collection trucks with maintenance plans due to breakdowns, delayed repairs
The metro has a reasonable number of trucks in its fleet, but most of them have been rendered useless for nearly five years due to delayed repairs.
FILE: Babalwa Lobishe elected new Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality on 31 October 2024. Picture: Facebook/Babalwa Lobishe
GQEBERHA - The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape has decided to only purchase waste collection trucks that come with service and maintenance plans, following rampant vehicle breakdowns.
In March, 16 refuse trucks that were already out of service due to mechanical problems were stripped of their engines and gearboxes while parked at municipal depots.
Many of the trucks were idle for years, largely because the metro lacks sufficient mechanics to carry out the necessary repairs.
The shortage of refuse collection trucks continues to be one of the most pressing issues in Nelson Mandela Bay, with waste piling up in some townships.
The metro has a reasonable number of trucks in its fleet, but most of them have been rendered useless for nearly five years due to delayed repairs.
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Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Babalwa Lobishe admitted that the metro could not fix and maintain its fleet on its own.
"We now must buy trucks with a motor plan because if we heavily rely on our fleet management, a lot of things happen over that value chain. Each new car must have its own motor plan so that we don’t have cars that are waiting for our own mechanics forever and end up being part of crime," said Lobishe.
The state of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality will be subject to President Cyril Ramaphosa's scrutiny over the next two days.
Ramaphosa and his Cabinet are visiting the Eastern Cape to assess the state of the province.