FF Plus against CoE’s plan to sell ‘essential’ equipment
The party demands a comprehensive and transparent audit of all items earmarked for disposal, including photographs, utility reports, and confirmation from the relevant departments.
The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) in Ekurhuleni has rejected the City of Ekurhuleni’s (CoE) plan to write off and sell municipal inventory valued at R8.7m through a public auction.
However, the proposal was passed on July 31 through a vote at a council meeting.
The party said the city proposed to auction items it deemed surplus to requirements or obsolete. The FF Plus held a different view of what the city considered surplus and obsolete.
The inventory includes, among other things, streetlight fittings, lamps, drainage systems, fire extinguishers, refuse bags, circuit breakers, power cables, fluorescent lights, paint, vehicle parts, and tyres.
FF Plus councillor Jennifer Glover said: “An analysis of the annexures indicates that many of the items earmarked for disposal are not obsolete but are, in fact, critical to the city’s daily service delivery. These are not luxury items or old junk, but essential equipment needed to keep basic services up and running.
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“The city will sell this inventory as ‘surplus’ even though residents have no power and refuse is piling up in the streets.
“What makes the matter more suspicious is that there is no photographic, technical or official evidence proving that these items are indeed unusable.”
Because of this, the FF Plus voted against the city’s plan to write off and sell the inventory, as it deems the inventory essential to keeping basic services running.
“We cannot support disposing of inventory that may still be usable, especially when departments are plagued by shortages and workers lack the equipment needed to perform their duties.”
The FF Plus claims the council was requested to approve the disposal in good faith, without any factual evidence.
“The FF Plus cannot help but wonder whether this is truly about surplus inventory or possibly another desperate attempt to raise funds to plug the gaps of the city’s poorly planned and insufficient budget.”
The party further demands a comprehensive and transparent audit of all items earmarked for disposal, including photographs, utility reports, and confirmation from the relevant departments.
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