Buses worth millions, bought to bolster the Mayibuye Transport Corporation’s (MTC) fleet, are still standing idle three months after delivery.Last month the Daily Dispatch reported how 21 buses were standing at the corporation’s Wilsonia depot as they did not meet tender specifications. The buses were later removed and left at the Ronnies Motors workshop in West Bank.
Yesterday, the Dispatch saw the buses still standing in the workshop yard.
No response to questions, both e-mailed and texted to MTC CEO Ntombizine Madyibi had been received at the time of writing.
Last year MTC invited bids for 50 buses.
Ten buses were supplied by Ronnies Motors and 40 were “leased” from Siga Capital, a company owned by Patuxolo Nodada. R17-million was paid upfront to Nodada “as deposit and part of the contract agreement”.
However, when it was found the Siga Capital buses did not meet the specifications required by the tender they were parked at MTC’s Reeston depot.
Earlier this month Nodada told the Dispatch the buses were sent to Ronnies for a pre-delivery inspection and “were to be released soon” but three weeks later the buses had not been moved.
Contacted by the Dispatch for comment, Nodada said the buses were being customised and MTC was taking delivery on an ongoing basis.
“ are signing off each bus as it is completed. Every day we meet with an MTC representative on site to confirm if we are going according to their needs,” he said.
But Nodada was unable to say how many buses had been delivered to MTC. “The first batch I am waiting for written documentation from the client on number accepted.” Nodada missed the first deadline to deliver 20 buses by November30, with the official launch due on December 10. One day before the launch, attended by premier Phumulo Masualle and transport MEC Weziwe Tikana, Siga Capital had delivered one bus. Twenty more came on December 24, but half were not branded and some had the wrong gearboxes.
The outstanding 19 buses to complete the order of 40 are yet to be delivered, meaning Nodada has also failed to meet the December 31 deadline of delivering the entire fleet. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
Siga Capital’s bus delivery programme in dismal state
Last month the Daily Dispatch reported how 21 buses were standing at the corporation’s Wilsonia depot as they did not meet tender specifications. The buses were later removed and left at the Ronnies Motors workshop in West Bank.
Yesterday, the Dispatch saw the buses still standing in the workshop yard.
No response to questions, both e-mailed and texted to MTC CEO Ntombizine Madyibi had been received at the time of writing.
Last year MTC invited bids for 50 buses.
Ten buses were supplied by Ronnies Motors and 40 were “leased” from Siga Capital, a company owned by Patuxolo Nodada. R17-million was paid upfront to Nodada “as deposit and part of the contract agreement”.
However, when it was found the Siga Capital buses did not meet the specifications required by the tender they were parked at MTC’s Reeston depot.
Earlier this month Nodada told the Dispatch the buses were sent to Ronnies for a pre-delivery inspection and “were to be released soon” but three weeks later the buses had not been moved.
Contacted by the Dispatch for comment, Nodada said the buses were being customised and MTC was taking delivery on an ongoing basis.
“ are signing off each bus as it is completed. Every day we meet with an MTC representative on site to confirm if we are going according to their needs,” he said.
But Nodada was unable to say how many buses had been delivered to MTC. “The first batch I am waiting for written documentation from the client on number accepted.” Nodada missed the first deadline to deliver 20 buses by November30, with the official launch due on December 10. One day before the launch, attended by premier Phumulo Masualle and transport MEC Weziwe Tikana, Siga Capital had delivered one bus. Twenty more came on December 24, but half were not branded and some had the wrong gearboxes.
The outstanding 19 buses to complete the order of 40 are yet to be delivered, meaning Nodada has also failed to meet the December 31 deadline of delivering the entire fleet. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
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