MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) – The local municipality has lost hundreds of thousands of rands due to ongoing bungling of the problem with defunct parking meters.

Parking meters in the central business district here are still out of order – after almost two years. The resulting loss in revenue and fruitless expenditure on the salaries of staff who are supposed to repair and police these meters allegedly run into astronomical amounts.

According to an official estimate the parking meters (when operational) generate an income of R101 000 per year.

In August 2002, the Democratic Alliance (DA) expressed concern in a letter to the Chief of Protection Services and requested information about the status of repair of parking meters in the CBD. The DA at the time expressed concern that assets of the municipality are in a state of disrepair and that sources of income are not protected.

The then Acting Chief of Protection Services said that only 20 of the 60 parking meters were out of order. The previous mayor, Cllr Brighton Tlakula, later announced that an official had been appointed to service and repair the town's parking meters.

The DA said in a media release this week that only 13 of the present 67 parking meters in town are in working order.

"The question can be asked whether the official who had been appointed was in fact competent and trained for his/her allocated task. The income from parking tickets is lost and those employed to be on the streets and issue traffic tickets are unable to perform their duties. A highly paid Director has also been appointed, but that seems to have made no difference to the loss of a lot of money for the taxpayers.

"The DA is concerned that the correspondence about this issue took place during August and September 2002 and it seems as if little has been done since. It is important to remember that the maintenance of assets is a constitutional obligation for municipalities. The fact that a new system is now being contemplated by Council makes no difference to the fact that the income from this source has already been lost.

"The 2004/5 budget sets a new trend. It seems as if there is a serious attempt from Council to run municipal finances on a sound basis. It is therefore very important to ensure that these good intentions are implemented to the advantage of all our people," the statement reads.

In reaction to the allegations, the Makhado Municipality's Director of Corporate Services, Mr Peter Magwala, said on Tuesday that they find it strange that the DA, which is part of Council, has chosen to go to the media to criticize the issue of parking meters. He said the DA is aware of the problems and the measures which Council has taken in this regard.

"The Democratic Alliance is fully aware that the current parking meters were installed almost 10 years ago, due to the change in currency and as such, they cannot be expected to be fully operational. Council has already reported that we have appointed a technician whose sole responsibility is to repair these parking meter which are out of order," Mr Magwala said. He added that Council intends to get a diversified parking meter system, which will be more cost- effective and will eliminate Council's expenditure on the maintenance of the system.

"It is therefore wrong and misleading for any person to claim the municipality is doing nothing about these matters," Mr Magwala said. He added that Council takes the issue surrounding the loss of income seriously and said that it is incorrect for any political party to create an impression that the municipality is not concerned.