The Makhado Municipality’s poor track record with regard to service delivery was dealt another blow with the news that they had to withdraw a major part of the vehicle fleet from service, due to the non-payment of vehicle licenses and a lack of roadworthiness.

Over the past weeks, some 68 municipal vehicles had to be withdrawn from service, as the municipality neglected to renew some of the vehicles’ license disks in time, while others could not be tested for roadworthiness due to mechanical problems with the brake-testing machine at the municipal testing station. Most affected by this state of affairs was the municipality’s technical department, one of its key service delivery departments. The vehicle’s licenses had already expired in July.

In response, Cllr Brian de Plooy of the local Democratic Alliance issued a statement last week, saying that they were deeply concerned about the municipality’s attitude towards service delivery.

“The municipal testing station has not been working for at least two months and no vehicles could be tested for roadworthiness as a result,” Du Plooy said. As for the municipality’s failure to renew its vehicle fleet’s licenses in time, Du Plooy said that this happens annually “due to insufficient or lack of paperwork that needs to be done”.

“How long do taxpayers in this municipality have to suffer poor service delivery when they are paying taxes? Municipal employees are unproductive, but their hands are tied because of incapable senior management in the finance department that cannot implement correct procedures,” Du Plooy said.

Municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi confirmed on Wednesday that they had problems with the licensing and testing of some of their vehicles.

With regard to the testing station, Bobodi said that the problem was due to the sole supplier of the brake tester’s parts refusal to calibrate the machine.

“This was after they had informed us that the municipality still owed them for calibration done in Vuwani in June,” Bobodi said. He said, however, that the problem has since been resolved and that everything at the testing station “is in order” again. The machine was eventually calibrated on August 26.

As for the municipality’s failure to renew the vehicle licences, Bobodi said that this was only with regard to the vehicles that could not be tested for roadworthiness.

“We could not be given the vehicle license disk until the vehicles were tested for roadworthiness,” Bobodi said. This, he said, is now being done.