A week after the high court attached some of the City of Mbombela’s (CoM) fire trucks to recover outstanding debt, the defendants are yet to make payment arrangements.

This according to the plaintiff, Tunica Trading 104’s legal representative, Adv Aubrey Milazi.

According to court documents seen by Lowvelder, judgment is the amount of R6 670 000 against Thenjwa Engineers and Projects and the CoM.
The sheriff of the court confiscated the keys of three fire engines, three water tankers and a Caterpillar grader on December 10.

Lowvelder previously reported the equipment belonged to the Mbombela Fire Station in Mbombela. However, it has since emerged the attached firefighting equipment could be from any of the fire stations within the CoM’s jurisdiction, including White River, Barberton, KaBokweni, Mbombela and Matsulu.

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The money is owed to Tunica Trading 104 for projects the company was appointed to undertake of which one in Matsulu was completed as per a contract with the municipality.
According to Milazi, the CoM will not be allowed to use the firefighting machinery until all the money owed to Tunica Trading 104 has been paid.

“The assets that were attached belong to the CoM, but we do not have details at which station they are based.
Our focus was to get the sheriff to attach assets to the value of money owed to my client. If the CoM happens to use any of them, there will be serious legal consequences,” Milazi said.

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He also said since the attachment, the CoM had not contacted them regarding payment. He said should the municipality not pay up, these assets will be sold on auction to recover the outstanding money.

Milazi said as a result of the municipality’s non-payment, Tunica Trading 104 may be forced to retrench about 100 people.

Tunica Trading 104 was appointed for the construction of two roads, Mountain View and Nkululeko, in Matsulu through the subcontractor, Thenjwa Engineers and Projects, in February 2023. The project was concluded in the stipulated time.

The CoM’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said they are aware of the attachment of these assets, and the matter has been handed over to the municipality’s legal team to deal with.