The running of the City of Cape Town's transport directorate is facing close scrutiny from opposition parties.
|||Cape Town - The running of the City of Cape Town’s transport directorate, which has a budget of more than R3 billion for the next financial year, is facing close scrutiny from opposition parties who say decisions are being pushed through without due process being followed.
The ACDP contends that changes to the transport directorate have been made with hardly any consultation, while the ANC has cried foul over the R180 million contract awarded to Volvo for the N2 Express buses without “due process”.
ACDP chief whip Dudley Demetrius said proposals for the restructuring of the transport, roads and stormwater directorate to serve as the new transport authority, Transport for Cape Town (TCT), had been made without proper consultation.
“Just when I thought the DA were serious about a good working relationship with opposition councillors they did it again - media briefings about proposed projects and rollouts were announced before they even got near the portfolio committee.”
The mayoral committee member for transport, roads and stormwater, Brett Herron said: “Yes, the report went straight to mayco and then to council. The structure of the directorate is not a function for the portfolio committee to consider and the directorate was simply following the correct process.”
Dudley said officials in the transport directorate had also complained, saying the briefing they had received was “minimal” and based on the mayoral committee’s agenda.
Herron responded: “The directorate and I do not determine the process, we are required to follow it. The city manager and the executive director are required to manage the communication around the new structure to the affected staff. I am confident that the correct processes have been followed and will be followed now that the structure has been approved.”
Herron said there was consultation with affected parties, including unions.
The draft TCT by-law, which is to consolidate the authority’s new functions, has been released for public comment.
Dudley said the ACDP was also concerned about the staff who would be appointed to carry out the TCT’s new functions and the time it would take to get the new authority working.
“Insecurity doesn’t work well with a well-run city. I doubt if this venture will get off the ground.”
ANC chief whip Xolani Sotashe said most of the R803m allocated to the IRT in the 2013 budget would be used for routes in more affluent areas. Spending on the N2 Express service would be only 13 percent of this.
But Herron said the ANC was uninformed. “The full rollout of the N2 Express will happen over four financial years.” Herron dismissed claims that the projected deficit for this service would be about R116m.
The ANC said the contract for 40 buses, awarded to Volvo, had been handled without due process being followed. But Herron said tenders did not go to portfolio committees.
“In fact, politicians should play no part in the awarding of a contract. The directorate issues hundreds of tenders a year and we have never taken a tender to the portfolio committee for approval. (The ANC is showing) it does not understand government finances, the Municipal Finance Management Act, the supply chain management regulations or their role.
Herron said the city was confident that the N2 service would start running in December.
“There will be sufficient buses to commence operations unless there is an unforeseen and unplanned event.”
The V&A Waterfront service has also been questioned, with ANC councillor Daliwonga Badela saying the city’s agreement to build stations there bypassed portfolio committee scrutiny. Herron said the V&A route had always been part of the IRT plan. “This agreement is about the V&A’s contribution to the cost. The precinct is private property and the V&A is to pay half the costs.”
anel.lewis@inl.co.za
Cape Argus