Tshwane to auction 800 old municipal vehicles to boost revenue

The City of Tshwane’s 800 old municipal vehicles will soon go under the hammer with a view to rake in some much-needed revenue, but the DA has expressed doubts that the exercise will yield the actual benefit the municipality is hoping for.

This follows an announcement by Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya, who said on social media that the city would sell off its vehicle fleet due to maintenance costs, with the revenue earmarked for municipal operations.

The auction, scheduled for February, is anticipated to attract interest from various buyers, potentially providing a much-needed boost to the city's finances.

Moya said the identified vehicles are currently stationed at various depots and that selling them on the second-hand market will be a more practical solution.

“These vehicles are too expensive for the city to keep. Instead of leaving them stationed at our various depots, we will make them available to the secondhand goods market,” she said.

But, the DA's Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink has warned that Moya is mistaken if she thinks the sale will generate significant revenue for the municipality.

He said disposing of old vehicles is a routine task and councils do it every year. 

“In this case the costs of selling 800 half-repaired vehicles have to be offset by what the municipality owes mechanics. If the mayor thinks the sale is going to be a major money spinner for the municipality, she is mistaken. The city is already under water by at least R1,5 billion because of the promises made to the unions,” he said.

The R1.5 billion relates to reports that the city is negotiating with labour unions Samwu and Imatu to delay the implementation of a salary increase and backpay following last year's bargaining council ruling forcing it to implement a 3.5% salary increase backdated to 2021. 

After the ruling, Eugene Modise, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance, said the city will work with unions to find a practical way to implement the award. 

The bargaining council gave the city six months to implement the 3.5% backdated pay increase, describing the financial impact as "very huge".

Moya mentioned the auction might happen on February 28, but they are still waiting for an official announcement. 

While many on social media applauded the city for a move to auction off vehicles, others slammed them for neglecting their maintenance.

“Dormant vehicles are proof that either your fleet operations or asset management are failing and taxpayers pay the price through fruitless expenditure,” one social media user said.

One commenter suggested the mayor should let employees buy the cars before selling them to outsiders, saying: “Mayor, please consider offering employees the chance to buy one or two before selling to others. We also love to own assets like those cars.”

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za