Durban - Durban is dirty! That’s the opinion of opposition parties that demanded an investigation into waste collection tenders because even they felt that although millions were paid in cleansing and solid waste tenders, the city was still covered in filth.
During an Exco meeting on Monday they also called for answers about the city’s supply chain tender boxes which were vandalised last year, bringing a number of tender processes, including that for solid waste collection, to a halt.
According to the city’s cleansing and solid waste report to Exco, the closing date for replacement contracts was December 7. However, on the closing day the tender boxes were forcefully taken by people unknown to the city and the documents were scattered in the surrounding streets.
Some city services, including street- cleaning contracts for the beachfront and city centre, were put on hold.
The municipality opened a case with the police who were expected to use CCTV footage as part of their investigation.
During the meeting, Exco members were advised that the city would extend the contract for street cleaning in the CBD and beachfront on a month-to-month basis. Additional funding was requested until the tender process was finalised.
A report by Raymond Rampersad, the head of cleansing and solid waste, said that the tender box vandalism caused delays in the tender process and the city was waiting for guidance from the supply chain management unit regarding the way forward.
“With the bid committees in recess, it will be impractical for the unit to reach its targeted date which is April 1. It is for this reason that the unit is seeking authority to extend the two contracts and request additional funding,” said Rampersad.
The IFP’s Mdu Nkosi questioned the role of DSW as well as the number of other waste collection tender recipients, including 15 000 employees of the Expanded Public Works Project, when Durban was dirty.
Nkosi said they were not against the renewal of the tender, as it was an important service, but they could not see what ratepayers had paid for.
The DA’s Heinz de Boer said they wanted investigations into waste collection problems, such as the ongoing interruption of collection in uMlazi.