Councillors aim to put trackers in vehicles

THE days when council employees could use official vehicles to “park off” and “hang around” at roadhouses are numbered.

Buffalo City councillors, concerned about the constant abuse of the municipal fleet, want all cars fitted with tracking devices to monitor their use. The idea was debated during Tuesday’s council meeting.

Council Speaker Luleka Simon said the directorate responsible for vehicles needed to note the councillors’ concerns.

“We are saying our vehicles mustn’t be abused. We must put a tracking system into all vehicles,” Simon said.

She said there was a tendency by employees to conveniently “leave their jackets at the office” and use council vehicles and hang out at city roadhouses .

ANC councillor Sindiswa Gomba said the vehicles should be fitted with tracking devices as a matter of “urgency”.

DA councillor Terence Fritz said employees were not even using logbooks to indicate where they were taking vehicles.

“I just want to ask for a simple thing like the use of a logbook.”

Fritz said he had raised the issue of tracking devices in 2007.

“I raised that question not last year, but the previous year. We’ve got a fleet management with inspectors checking the vehicles. But some directorates don’t want to fill in these logbooks . So the acting municipal manager must check and report back to us ,” Fritz said.

Councillor Sizwe Dikimolo said it was good that the issue had been raised because the budget for the next financial year was being prepared.

When council met last month to approve adjustments to the city’s capital and operating budgets, the municipal vehicle fleet was boosted by a further R4 million.

Sourced via dispatch.co.za