The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is seriously concerned about the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro’s (NMBM) fleet management.
According to its Department of Roads and Transport, the Metro’s fleet consists of about 2 000 vehicles, but it does not have an accurate asset register indicating the exact number of vehicles.
Vehicles that go in for basic repairs easily end up in the “municipal vehicle graveyard” due to a lack of leadership and the looting of parts.
During recent oversight visits to the Metro’s vehicle depots in Munelek and Uitenhage, the Freedom Front Plus discovered vehicles to the value of millions rusting away.
Service delivery suffers while vehicles with minor problems, such as a flat tire, stand unused for years. This situation is the direct result of cadre deployment and poor management.
The Freedom Front Plus demands that experience and competence should take precedence over political appointments and ideological programmes.
It is vital to appoint competent professionals and seasoned mechanics to turn the Department around.
A comprehensive inventory assessment should be conducted to determine exactly how many vehicles the Metro has, repair serviceable vehicles and return them to circulation, and decommission irreparable vehicles and sell them at auction.
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