The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is not convinced that the Emfuleni Local Municipality’s leasing a fleet of 145 new vehicles will resolve the service delivery crisis.
The vehicles will certainly come in handy, but the concern is that this is just an election gimmick by the ANC-led administration, less than a year before the 2026 municipal elections.
While any effort to improve service delivery is welcomed – particularly with regard to public safety, refuse removal, electricity and infrastructure – it has to be properly managed and bring about tangible, lasting improvement.
In the past, service providers frequently repossessed vehicles because the Municipality failed to honour its lease obligations.
Residents of Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging have spent years waiting for reliable service delivery, cleaner streets, working street lights and swifter response to complaints.
The first 50 vehicles (which included 25 service vehicles, 15 bakkies and 10 sedans) were handed over to the Department of Public Safety on 16 February 2026. This could increase visible policing and possibly help combat crime.
On 17 February, another 30 vehicles (10 bakkies and 20 sedans) will be handed over to the Fleet Department – with further distribution of vehicles to follow by the end of February.
The Municipality also plans to provide 15 new compactors and 10 skip loaders in March, as well as 10 vehicles with cranes to the Electricity Department for repairing street lights and high-mast lights.
Currently there are only seven operational compactors leased from the Gauteng province, two refuse trucks and one TLB.
In addition, the Mayor promised to see to it that the 21 broken compactors are repaired, with the aim of having 36 working compactors by the end of April.
The Freedom Front Plus is of the opinion that the Municipality should have repaired the existing compactors and leased the necessary machinery a long time ago already.
The aforementioned fleet is procured through a 36-month lease contract, which includes comprehensive maintenance. While this arrangement avoids large capital expenditure, the costs and contract conditions should be fully and transparently disclosed.
Emfuleni’s severe financial challenges and history of poor management and qualified audits place an even greater responsibility on the administration to manage this project professionally and cost-effectively.
Service delivery should never be election driven.
The Freedom Front Plus will exercise strict oversight and hold the administration accountable to ensure these new resources are not just a gimmick, but used to bring about measurable improvements in service delivery.
Freedom Front Plus Education: The FF Plus calls for quality education and the protection of language rights in schools.
Romance Guppy
An retired elderly couple visit London..
They get picked up from the airport in a london black cab and head off into the city for some adventure.
The cab driver say \”where you from guvnor?
Husband. \”we\’re from South Africa\”..
The wife is a little hard of hearing asks her husband.
\”What did he say?\”
The husband turns to his wife and says louder \”the cab driver asked us where we were from, I told him South Africa!\”
The cabbie continues \”I was in the merchant navy years back… I got to drop anchor down your way, a few times in Johannesburg\”
The husband replies \”oh wow that\’s where we\’re from originally, now we\’re in Cape Town.\”
The wife asks the husband again \”what did he say?\”.
The husband again relays the unheard conversation \”the cab driver says he spent some time in the navy and went down to joberg\”.
The wife smiles and nods.
Venom Petunia
USA: You have two cows. You outsource a farm to milk them and sell the milk to those who can afford it. You then use the profit to buy someone else\’s cow for your butcher to make steak with.