Tshwane waste collection delays caused by expiry of contract

A man look in rubbish bins that have not been collected. Picture : Neil Baynes

A man look in rubbish bins that have not been collected. Picture : Neil Baynes

Published Oct 20, 2020

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Pretoria - The unexpected delays in waste collection by the City of Tshwane last week was due to the expiry of a contract with the service providers.

The contract had been extended by a month at the beginning of September.

Since July when a three-year fleet management contract ended, the City has been entering into month-to-month contracts with service providers.

The arrangements for monthly extensions of contracts was due to ongoing tendering processes to appoint new contractors.

The extensions continued despite a promise by head administrator Mpho Nawa that the municipality was working tirelessly to conclude the process of hiring new service providers.

Last month Nawa told the Pretoria News that the City was concluding the supply chain process to award the replacement tender.

The process of advertising the replacement tender started in August last year, but owing to challenges related to bid specifications, the tender had to be advertised no less than three times.

Last week, many residents were taken by surprise after the City could not collect refuse according to its normal schedule. The municipality subsequently initiated a catch-up schedule for waste removal after the interruption of services due to the expired contract.

Acting city manager Masabata Mutlaneng said: “The contract did expire. However, it was extended further by a month for the sake of service delivery in the City.”

The tender in question was for leasing general construction vehicles, yellow plant machines, specialised vehicles and waste removal trucks.

Recently, the City purchased 439 new specialised vehicles, saying they marked the beginning of the end for private contractors in the municipality.

Mutlaneng hoped in the long run the City would spend less on private service providers, especially with the waste removal trucks under its ownership.

The three-year fleet management contract, which ended in July, cost the city R3.3billion.

Pretoria News

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City of Tshwane