The Democratic Alliance (DA) will table a motion calling on the Emthanjeni municipality to address the poor state of the municipal garage and provide a formal schedule for road repairs, after ad hoc commitments to blade roads fail to materialize.
De Aar’s roads are in a dire condition and service delivery, as recently confirmed by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), has regressed. Gravel roads that have formed trenches and become undriveable in the rain, are particularly in need of blading.
For the past year, the DA has attempted to elicit a response from the Municipal Manager, Disang Molaole, about Emthanjeni’s plans to blade gravel roads. A verbal commitment by the MM, that Emthanjeni would hire a grader by September-October, will not materialize. Not only is the municipality out of funds to repair vehicles, but any hope that it would invest in yellow fleet vehicles was dashed with the purchase of 10 luxury bakkies instead.
Repairs on vehicles that are still operational are done by swopping parts from the broken fleet that gathers dust at the municipal garage.
A recent oversight inspection to the municipal garage, however, does not inspire hope for improved service delivery.
The garage resembles a scrapyard. Various types of broken loaders, a sewerage truck, refuse trucks, bakkies and two graders, one of which is missing a clutch, stand idle. Vehicles are being damaged by the elements. Weeds are growing up around the tyres of broken yellow fleet vehicles. Dented bakkies are resting on flat tyres while numerous trucks are seen standing on bricks, without any tyres.
Given the state of the fleet and the garage, it is no surprise that blading and other service delivery is at a standstill.
The DA will submit a motion, to be tabled at the next ordinary council meeting. We want an audit of the municipal garage conducted and we want to know how the municipality plans on opertionalising its fleet. We also require a formal road blading schedule for gravel roads.
Residents of Emthanjeni deserve transparency, formal commitments and tangible, funded plans as opposed to more pie in the sky promises, that never materialize.