The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Office of the Nelson Mandela Bay City Manager and the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), calling for immediate intervention in the City’s catastrophic fuel crisis.
The DA has been informed that the contract for the supply of petrol and diesel to municipal vehicles has expired, with no new contract currently in place. This will have a devastating impact on service delivery and effective response to emergencies and disasters.
Only vehicles that currently have fuel are still operational, while others have come to a grinding halt.
This is extremely alarming in light of the Level 6 inclement weather warning issued for this week in Nelson Mandela Bay. Icy temperatures, strong interior winds, and severe storms bringing extreme rainfall, hail, and damaging winds have been forecast for the week.
The lack of petrol and diesel supply means that emergency personnel and disaster management teams may be unable to respond effectively to emergencies. In the event of power outages or flooding of streets, no emergency vehicles will be able to respond.
I have written to the Office of the City Manager, calling for urgent intervention to ensure that municipal vehicles receive the necessary petrol and/or diesel to carry out their duties.
Currently, the City does not have a lawfully appointed Acting City Manager, creating a leadership vacuum in which critical decisions cannot be made. At my request, DA Nelson Mandela Bay Mayoral Candidate and Shadow MEC for CoGTA, Retief Odendaal MPL, has written to the MEC for CoGTA, Zolile Williams, urging him to immediately second an Acting City Manager so that emergency decisions can be taken.
The DA is deeply concerned that the most vulnerable residents, particularly those living in flood-prone areas, will be the hardest hit and may not receive the assistance they need during this critical time.
It is totally unacceptable for this broken ANC/EFF-led coalition administration to fail our residents by not renewing the contract before it has expired.
The residents of this Metro deserve a government that will prioritise their safety and security and not put them at risk through bad governance and administrative bungling. By making sure that our residents are safe, secure and protected from emergencies and disasters we can get Nelson Mandela Bay working again.