The days of an ambulance sitting broken for 12 months while communities suffer could soon be a thing of the past
The KZN SCOPA members placed the new vehicle maintenance provider, AfriRent, under intense scrutiny during a meeting.
AfriRent presented its takeover plan from the previous contractor, WesBank, which had been responsible for servicing government fleets including ambulances, police vehicles, and scholar transport for special schools. Members of the committee made it clear that national appointment alone would not guarantee success. They warned that if the same failures of the past continued, they would not hesitate to act.
The committee expressed shock that previous gaps allegedly remained unresolved until contracts ended, despite the heavy cost to the state and damage to service delivery. One example raised was the District, where an ambulance reportedly remained unrepaired for 12 months, leaving communities vulnerable. SCOPA signaled that such failures must now become history or the the AfriRent wont survive.
The Committee said will hold the service provider against its turnaround time and contractor development goal as their key performance indicators. The AfriRent insisted government vehicles deserve the same urgency as private sector clients, where vehicles are often serviced the same day. It responded by promising systems that will track when vehicles are booked in, monitor delays at merchant level, and escalate unresolved blockages directly to Heads of Department when necessary.
The company also said a call centre is already in motion, with training beginning in June so that by 1 July systems and staff will be fully operational. It further assured the committee that the exit of WesBank from April would not disrupt operations, as vetting processes are already underway and problem areas have been identified.
Concerns were also raised about small merchants lacking financial muscle to handle major repairs, such as ambulance engine replacements costing up to R200,000. AfriRent said a purchase order-backed funding model will help qualifying merchants access parts without delay.
SCOPA made it clear that plans on paper mean nothing without results. The committee now intends to track every commitment made, ensuring government vehicles return to the road faster and public services are no longer crippled by avoidable delays.
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