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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted an urgent motion to the Nelson Mandela Bay Council, calling for an external investigation into alleged mafia-style activity within the municipality's fleet management services department. Specifically, an alleged syndicate is accused of vandalising and stripping municipal refuse trucks.

Recently, the Public Health Portfolio Standing Committee agenda showed that several refurbished trucks, slated to return to service, were vandalised and stripped. Shockingly, the municipality is now seeking more than R23 million to repair the damage.

A total of 16 refuse compactor trucks have been vandalised, with five keys stolen and significant damage inflicted, including removed parts and cut wiring. The repair costs are substantial, with R23.598 million required to refurbish at least nine of the trucks. Unfortunately, the remaining trucks are beyond repair. This expense is in addition to the R30 million already allocated in the capital budget for purchasing new refuse compactor trucks. If these issues persist, the funding will be squandered.

The fleet's current operational capacity is a mere 11%, necessitating our reliance on external contractors to deliver basic municipal services. This situation raises concerns that it may be a deliberate strategy.

I have submitted an urgent motion to Council, requesting an external forensic investigation into Fleet Services and depots. This investigation must probe the alleged syndicate's involvement in the vandalism and theft.

The Public Health department must be allocated a dedicated budget to procure its own security services. This would enable the department to effectively monitor and protect its assets, ensuring the safety and integrity of its operations.

Addressing the issue, which is draining the municipality's resources, requires straightforward security solutions. The measures include:

• Regular rotation of guards to prevent collusion.
• Supervisors monitoring guards and submitting daily incident reports.
• Thorough searches of municipal vehicles departing depots.

The municipality must invest in CCTV cameras as an additional deterrent and consider procuring dedicated security personnel to protect public health assets.

We won't tolerate the municipality's lax attitude, which is enabling alleged unchecked mafia-style criminality, draining the state's resources and misusing taxpayer money.

The DA is in your corner, fighting for you. Together we can get NMB working again.

Issued by Cllr Mthokozisi Nkosi - DA NMB Spokesperson for Public Health