Concern over 'dysfunctional' contract

Only 50% of KZN health department ambulances are operational

- THAMI MAGUBANE [e-mail]

A KEY government contract, central to the provincial government's management of its fleet of vehicles, has been blamed for the severe shortage of ambulances and police vehicles to service communities.

Members of the provincial legislature have expressed worries about the RT46 transversal tender, fearing it is at the heart of the shortage of government vehicles, including ambulances and police vehicles.

The “RT46 transversal tender” is described as a series of South African government tenders managed by the National Treasury (in 2021) to provide comprehensive vehicle fleet management services to government entities. These tenders cover services like fuel card provision, fleet tracking, maintenance, repair, and traffic fine management, aiming to control costs and improve efficiency for government-owned vehicles.

Concerns have been raised regarding the dysfunction of the tender, with MPLs claiming that the bureaucratic processes are causing delays that lead to simple vehicle repairs taking months.

Legislators highlighted their concerns following a visit to the Department of Health Emergency Services, where they found a serious shortage of ambulances. Recent parliamentary questions on the matter revealed the extreme seriousness of the situation, indicating that only 240 (50%) of KwaZulu-Natal’s 480 Department of Health (DoH) ambulances were operational.

Statements by MPLs, as well as confidential reports seen by The Mercury from the SAPS, show that the challenges resulting from the contract affect both medical services and crime fighting.