250 new vehicles for the metro

ON Wednesday next week the metro will unveil a fleet of over 250 new vehicles to the value of R170 million.

“It will be the last piece of the puzzle in terms of State of the City promises for the 2012/13 financial year. We took delivery of these vehicles by the end of June this year and we will soon be unleashing them into the field to render much-needed services to our people,” Clr Mondli Gungubele, executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, said in his address at the monthly council meeting on Thursday.

“During our State of the City Address we set a number of targets for ourselves to be achieved by the end of June 2013. These included the construction and opening of the new disaster management satellite office in Tsakane, purchase of nine specialised vehicles for emergency services, absorption of 101 peace corps as a community safety intervention, train a team of 400 people as our fire brigade reserve force, complete the beautification and upgrade of Germiston Lake and address the issue of the ageing fleet of ambulances. All this had to be done as a continuation of our mission to improve local public services and broaden access,” Gungubele said.

“Today I can pronounce that all the above have been accomplished and we are on course to deliver on the promises we have made for the 2013/14 financial year.

The new vehicles required include 66 vehicles (including 48 ambulances) for disaster and emergency services, 57 waste management trucks, 129 metro police vehicles, two mobile clinics and 18 water tankers.

“These vehicles were acquired to enhance our existing service delivery programme and equip staff with the necessary tools to carry out their mandate. It is our belief that the community must be taken on board to see just how some of the money paid for in rates and taxes is spent in an endeavour to better their lives.”