Johannesburg’s Pikitup spends R85 million on renting vehicles while its own trucks are broken and sit in workshops

Pikitup spends approximately R85 million every month on fleet hire while 91 ageing municipal vehicles remain out of service at various workshops.

This was revealed by Johannesburg councillor Devon Steenkamp, who asked for details about the high vehicle rental costs.

The city responded, saying 39 Pikitup vehicles are awaiting repairs, while another 52 have been assessed as uneconomical to repair and recommended for disposal.

The estimated cost of repairing the 39 vehicles is R5.1 million, although assessments at some workshops are still outstanding.

“These figures raise concerns about how Pikitup manages its fleet and public money,” Steenkamp said in a statement.

He asked why the city is spending hundreds of millions of rands hiring vehicles while its own fleet continues to deteriorate.

He said that the City of Johannesburg cannot continue spending vast amounts on hired vehicles without addressing the condition of its own fleet.

“The lack of proper maintenance, timely repairs, and fleet replacement planning needs urgent attention,” he said.

“We want answers on Pikitup’s fleet-hire expenditure, the delays in repairing municipal vehicles, and the plans in place to replace those beyond economical repair.”

Steenkamp highlighted that Pikitup is responsible for keeping the City of Johannesburg clean.

However, residents endure missed refuse collections, overflowing bins, and rubbish piling up in their streets.

“Johannesburg residents pay for reliable refuse collection through their municipal accounts,” the city said.

“They should not have to beg for a basic service while millions are spent every month on vehicle hire.”