Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality would like to apologise to residents, workers and businesses operating in the central business district(CBD) for the inconvenience caused by water tankers and refuse trucks that blocked roads leading into the CBD on Tuesday, 13 May 2024.
As expressed by the truck company owners in the urgent meeting convened by the Mayoral Committee for Budget and Treasury Buyelwa Mafaya, they blocked the roads as a form of protest for delayed payments for services rendered for water services and refuse collection.
The metro can confirm that there are payment delays due to a number of reasons.
Some of the reasons are as follows:
- Delays in verification of service and invoicing
- Availability of budget within a directorate.
- Administrative delays due to the workload at creditors as there are number of outsourced services that need processing for payment.
Following robust and honest discussions between the contractors and the metro, the meeting resolved that the blockages must be stopped going forward, a working relationship led by the MMC Mafaya be used to resolve any challenges between the metro and contractors.
“As the metro we are going to be looking closely at our systems, coordination and implementation thereof to make sure that we have synergy between the service directorates and the budget and treasury directorate. The issue of commissioning out work without budget confirmation must stop, no matter what pressure we are under. I will also be meeting our team led by the Acting CFO to make sure that we improve on our turnaround time when we proper invoicing has been submitted, “said MMC Mafaya.
MMC said, “We would like to apologise to the public and businesses who suffered because of these blockages. We can confidently say now that we are on the same page with the contractors and we will be working as a team going forward”.
Part of the work that the contractors are providing is to load refuse at illegal dumping sites, provide additional refuse compactors for refuse collection, provide drinking water through water tankers during water outages.
Editor: Have a look at the three reasons given above and critically examine whether any of the reasons are due to contractor delays? MyPE is also aware of suppliers in the metro having supplied goods and services out of the goodness of their hearts in the absence of the Metro being able to supply an order number. And now they sit months later as the requests for order numbers fall on deaf incompetent ears.
NMB Communications
Latest posts by NMB Communications (see all)
- Join The Celebration - 26 February 2025
- 6 Municipal Employees Supended - 15 January 2025
- Fishwater Flats Wastewater Treatment Plant Work Progressing Well - 10 January 2025
- Kliprand Protest Brings Action - 7 January 2025
- Mayor Tells Us Why We Had a Successful Festive Season in Nelson Mandela Bay - 6 January 2025
