The City of Tshwane’s Department of Environment and Agricultural Management is facing scrutiny from a Section 79 municipal committee following concerns over the unroadworthiness of trucks used for waste collection in the municipality.
This is despite the city’s promise to enhance efficiency of the waste management services through the introduction of stricter service rules last year.
The new rules were met with threats and violence allegedly from at least 60% of contractors who didn’t make it back onto the new tender implemented on July 15, 2024, after they failed to meet the requirements.
In terms of the new rules tightening specifications for the refuse removal contract, the waste removal trucks should not be older than nine years to prevent frequent breakdowns.
A truck must also have an e-Natis valid certificate to verify its roadworthiness and to ensure that the vehicle certificate is not fraudulent.
The city also demanded that waste management trucks be fitted with tracking devices to verify that the allocated routes have been travelled.
Section 79 committee chairperson Hluphi Gafane has raised alarm bells over the roadworthiness of waste collection trucks in Tshwane after a disturbing discovery in Olievenhoutbosch, where one of the trucks was found abandoned and leaking oil on the side of the road.
Gafane said the truck was stationary and leaking oil due to issues of an oil pump, “which is an indication that trucks being used for waste collection by the service provider have not been maintained and ensured roadworthy”.
She lamented the fact that such events could cause an unnecessary delay in refuse collection.
She emphasised that the matter must be brought before her committee for thorough discussion and deliberation to find a solution to the pressing concern.
She also vowed to take up the issue with a member of the Mayoral Committee for Environment and Agriculture Management, Obakeng Ramabodu, to find workable solutions and ensure waste collection is not disrupted.
“The city is working extremely hard to ensure services are rendered to residents without delay, and such incidents highlight why it is important for the city to own vital assets such as waste collection trucks. This will allow for the city to have assurance the trucks are maintained, up to standard and reliable,” Gafane said.
