The Democratic Alliance (DA) has issued a press release regarding the waste removal crisis the residents of JB Marks has had to endure in the last few months.

According to DA chief whip in JB Marks, Neels Coetzer, the crises should have been prevented pro-actively.

‘Firstly, a crises like this does not occur overnight and at best for the Executive Mayor and his management team, this is something that any capable executive management structure should have foreseen and should have prevented  pro-actively.  This was clearly not done and the failure to do so, should on its own cause the proverbial read lights to flicker pertaining as the capacity and ability of the day to day leadership management of the municipality.’

‘There is however overwhelming information that has been brought to the attention of our councillors by well meaning persons with inside information that the crisis, the city is faced with, is the result of an orchestrated plan to get a lucrative contract signed. The contract aimed at the lease of a fleet of waste removal trucks at a monthly rental that, if computed over several months, should actually have enabled the municipality to replace our existing fleet with brand new trucks.’

In essence this information reveals that the crises that has been faced by our communities was self created in order to cause a public outcry and in doing so pave the way for the circumvention of the legal requirements in our supply chain process.  A crises and unforeseen circumstances permits the deviation from compliance from the normal tender processes.  This will permit the use of a single service provider without obtaining competitive bids.

Our fears are also substantiated by the fact that the DA caucus leadership was, a month ago  approached by the legal representative of the municipality on instructions of the Executive Mayor and leadership of the ANC in council in a bid to get the DA’s support for the contract to lease the waste removal trucks.

At the meeting we were supplied with a legal opinion whereby an attempt was already made to legally justify the signing of the agreement in the light of the crises faced by our community and the public outcry.

At the time we were already provided with information that gave cause for serious discomfort about the apparent waste removal crises we are faced with and what the true reasons therefore was.  For this reasons the caucus leadership refused to provide support for this idea, despite the fact that our councillors were chastised on a daily basis for the ongoing crises with the waste removal.

We have further  hoped that due process would be followed and that a report would serve at the last counil meeting of the year to debate and interrogate the issue.

Regrettably this did not happen and the next thing we heard was the recent press release of the Executive Mayor,  wherein he now after a crises that has already lasted for more than two months, all of a sudden embarks on personal intervention and conveniently whilst knowing that it is the festive season and that council will not be sitting offers a solution.  The solution now offered is a plan that was already in place for at least a month ago when our caucus leadership was approached.

Despite the discomfort that our residents may be facing by this poorly managed and self induced crises, the DA will not be coerced into illegal conduct.

We will in fact be combining all the information we have thusfar received to press criminal charges against the ruthless and cruel persons who are responsible for this crises and who have prioritised their own short term gain above the interest of service delivery to our community.

We place our hope in our community for understanding our principled position on this issue.

https://www.citizen.co.za/potchefstroom-herald/56359/backlog-refuse-removals/