Some of the service delivery challenges experienced by Bitou Municipality have been attributed to the aging vehicles within its fleet. Therefore, to address this matter, the municipality made provision for a significant overhaul of the fleet in the 2023/24 financial year. The municipality has invested R14 million in acquiring vehicles for various departments.

Bitou Executive Mayor Dave Swart, Deputy Mayor Mavis Busakwe, and Council Speaker Claude Terblanche were delighted to unveil the new fleet of vehicles on Monday, 16 October 2023. This fleet consisted of two compactor trucks, a front-end loader, two LDV’s for the electrical section, two LDV’s for the water services section, and a traffic services vehicle.

The two compactor trucks for the Integrated Waste Management section are expected to alleviate the current service delivery challenges. The first truck will be available for use towards the end of this month, and the second one will be available in the middle of next month. This will come as a welcome boost, as we are expecting a bumper festive season starting in the first week of December this year.

The newly received front-end loader will enhance efficiency at the waste transfer station. The current one that is being used by the section is not effectively dealing with the pressure at the waste transfer station. This top-of-the range machine will ensure that the compacting of waste is effectively and efficiently done and will leave more space available at the transfer station.

The front -end loader will be used at the green waste facility to push and compact the green waste. It will also be used to effectively deal with bulky waste at the bulky waste facility as well as in the communities where such waste is often dumped illegally. It will also assist the section to efficiently and effectively deal with illegal dumpsites in the communities.

The LDV’s for the electric and water services sections are expected to significantly boost the response time to service delivery callouts. The shortage of vehicles within these sections has had an impact on the time taken to respond to service delivery requests from residents. This will also enable the sections to reach areas that are deemed inaccessible due to landscape conditions.

In addition to the above, traffic services will also receive a vehicle, which will further enhance the operations of this important section.

The acquisition of these vehicles is part of the commitment of this administration to deliver excellent service to residents.

Issued By: Andile Namntu on behalf of Bitou Executive Mayor Dave Swart, Deputy Mayor Mavis Busakwe, and Speaker of Council Claude Terblanche