The plundering of state assets must stop.  I have today written to the chairperson of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Transport, Ntombizodwa Xhanti, to request urgent oversight visits to the three government garages in the provinces.

The disgraceful neglect by the Department of Transport to adequately manage state assets cannot continue.  In a cash-strapped province like ours, every cent must be spent wisely.

Instead, vehicles to the value of an estimated R100-million are rotting away and are being stripped for parts by criminals at the depots in East London, Mthatha and Port Elizabeth.

Last week I tabled legislature questions to the MEC for Transport, Weziwe Tikana, regarding her department’s policy for selling fleet vehicles, the number of vehicles sold over the past three financial years and the total revenue collected from such sales.  The MEC was also asked to give details about the security at the depots.

The portfolio committee must gain a comprehensive and clear understanding of the operation of these garages in order to do oversight and hold the department to account. – Marshall von Buchenroder MPL, Shadow MEC for Transport