Municipality paid R16 million for 18 vehicles but only 7 were delivered

A former fleet manager in Emfuleni has been arrested on allegations of tender irregularities in the procurement of vehicles for the municipality.

The tender involved delivering 18 vehicles to the municipality, including bakkies and other work vehicles to add to its existing fleet.

The awarded tender was worth R16 million, but it is alleged that only a portion of the vehicles were delivered to the municipality.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) announced that investigations had revealed that only seven vehicles had been procured.

This is despite full payment having been made to the supplier, leading to the fleet managers’ arrest.

The SAPS said its investigations into mismanagement in Emfuleni are ongoing, and more arrests may follow.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said the arrest was a positive sign for Emfuleni, which has historically struggled with mismanagement.

The party said Emfuleni had been turned into a crime scene by mismanagement and corruption from government officials.

The municipality sits in the southern region of Gauteng, just below Johannesburg, and is widely known as the country’s industrial hub.

The municipality contains key cities such as Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging, which are central to many industrial efforts.

The area contains many of South Africa’s large manufacturing plants and metalworking factories, making it vital to the country’s major operations, such as mining.

Emfuleni has struggled financially for years and has adopted several unfunded budgets in the last decade.

The unfunded budgets coincide with some of the highest debt service costs of any municipality in South Africa.

The municipality currently owes approximately R9.7 billion to Eskom and Rand Water combined for bulk service delivery.

Emfuleni has also struggled with service delivery for its residents, who frequently experience power and water outages.

These outages are due to deteriorating infrastructure in the area, which the municipality is not able to adequately maintain or upgrade.

Other services, such as refuse removal, also face challenges, and many residents say their trash often goes uncollected

The DA said the fleet manager’s arrest was a good start, and more investigations into Emfuleni’s local government should follow.

“We are pleased to see that the long arm of the law will come for those who involve themselves in corruption,” it said.

“However, this must not be the end. This official did not act alone, and we call for an expanded operation”.