By Levy Masiteng
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is pressing Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC Jacob Mamabolo for clarity regarding municipalities outsourcing waste collection despite possessing internal resources.
The DA said on Tuesday that it intends to table inquiries in the legislature aimed at extracting information from Mamabolo concerning this practice.
Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, DA Gauteng’s COGTA spokesperson, emphasised the party’s quest to understand why municipal trucks aren’t being repaired, the duties of existing staff when services are outsourced, and the costs incurred from external service providers.
Mamabolo disclosed these issues after the DA’s scrutiny in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
He revealed instances where municipalities like Ekurhuleni, City of Tshwane, and Merafong Local Municipality engage external service providers for waste collection despite having fully staffed waste management departments with numerous employees and operational trucks.
Rasilingwane condemned this “double dipping,” stressing that it unnecessarily inflates expenses for services already internally covered.
For instance, in Ekurhuleni, only 9 out of 102 municipal compactor trucks are operational, with 93 trucks out of service due to breakdowns and maintenance delays.
Despite this, the municipality persists in outsourcing waste collection.
The DA has raised alarms about the financial ramifications and efficiency concerns arising from this practice.
Rasilingwane urged municipalities to prioritize repairing idle trucks due to inadequate maintenance, asserting that utilizing existing resources could ensure timely waste collection and reduce costs.
She pledged the DA’s commitment to ensuring municipalities are adequately equipped to deliver effective refuse and waste removal services.
Additionally, Rasilingwane mentioned that Mamabolo’s revelations has shed light over the inefficient use of resources and the potential waste of taxpayer money.
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