Durban - In keeping with global trends by making a shift toward an energy transition supposedly cleaner than fossil fuels, the City of Durban has introduced a set of new electric bikes to the Metro Police Department vehicle fleet.
IOL spotted a set of bikes alongside three Metro police officers outside the Elangeni Hotel on Tuesday, where the opening breakfast for the African Travel Indaba was being held.
Intrigued by the rare sighting, we spoke to the officers on site, who made it clear they weren’t in a position to officially comment but did give us some specifications on the electric bike.
An officer told IOL that the bike takes a conventional three-pin plug and charges at a normal wall socket.
The bike is said to have a range of 120km on a full charge.
Independent Media spoke to the company which supplied these bikes, E-Tron electronics, who explained that research and development for the product took place in South Africa.
Manufacturing and component suppliers are from Asia and Europe.
The bikes are silent and emit no engine noise or any other mechanical noise.
According to Metro police spokesperson, Boysie Zungu, the five new electric bikes were added to the fleet in December last year.
IOL also asked Zungu how much the bikes cost the municipality and is awaiting his reply.
The Durban Metro Police Department have added five electric bikes to their vehicle fleet and will go a long way in saving fuel with petrol close to R23 per litre.
— Jehran Daniel (@JehranD) May 10, 2023
Officers told IOL it lasts a month on a full charge. pic.twitter.com/cntpnko36m
With petrol prices reaching almost R23 a litre in May, electric bikes will go a long way in saving the municipality much needed funds.
As thousands of delegates landed on the shores of the Indian Ocean for the annual African Travel Indaba, IOL caught up with the Durban Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, to speak to him about his plans for adding extra security presence on the ground, much like Gauteng recently did.
Kaunda said he has been in talks with community policing forums around the City, saying they are a vital part of the system.
“We are starting to work with our neighbourhood watch programmes. We are still looking for ways of supporting them because they are already there on the ground and how we are going to incentivise them and give them necessary tools to do their work.
“This is going to be a partnership between the City and them. We also have to be mindful of increasing the bill for employees because we already have around 26 000 employees,” Kaunda said.
Seeking confirmation from CPF’s in the Durban area, IOL spoke to Vincent Chetty from the Clare Estate Action Committee, as well as the Sydenham community watch, who confirm that they have been in contact with the City regarding the issue or extra ground forces.
“Look, this isn’t something new. We have been engaging with the mayor and his people for some time now and I have a meeting with him soon. Maybe he’s going to divulge his plans during that meeting,” Chetty said.
Imtiaz Sayed – president of the Active Citizens Coalition – who also sits on the council in eThekwini, wasn’t that excited about Kaunda’s words, however.
Sayed said they have put forth plans to the City about added ground forces but nothing has ever really materialised out of the many talks they’ve had with municipal representatives.
“Look, if the mayor says he’s going to do this, then I hope he does and I will be very happy about it. But really, we’ve had these talks before. We put plans and proposals in place. It’s not like they don’t know what needs to be done.
“It's a matter of following through with it. And I don’t see it happening in the next 12 months,” Sayed told IOL.
IOL