Shandu Delivers On 2024/2025 Budget Speech Promise to Insource Water Tankers

The mayor of iLembe District Municipality, Cllr. Thobani Shandu accompanied by the Council Speaker (also the SALGA Women’s Commission KZN Provincial Chairperson), Cllr. Dolly Shandu, EXCO Members and Councillors received the first consignment of 11 of the 30 water tankers today that the District Municipality has procured directly in an effort to reduce reliance on contracted services (outsourcing).

The current Council whose tenure began in November 2021, inherited an institution where there was a contract with a private service provider to supply the municipality with a total of 106 vehicles. This included 30 water tankers. In the 2023/2024 financial year, the Council took a decision to insourcing the fleet, where it sought that in two (2) years the entire fleet should be owned by the municipality, as opposed to being leased.

As a start, the municipality procured 65 bakkies from Isuzu which were delivered in December 2023. Today’s addition of 30 water tanks that will all be delivered by the end of October 2024 will bring total of insourced vehicles to 95.

In welcoming the consignment of tankers, Shandu thanked the administration for delivering on the Council decision thereby ensuring that water provision is done responsibly and sustainably “This will save Council funds enormously, the R18 million we had budgeted for the 2024/2025 financial year has been depleted just three (3) months into this financial year, clearly indicated that we could have possibly spent in region R100 million at the end of the financial year.”

“We will still use contract services to plug gaps where there is a dire need, however, it is important to note that the monies that the District Municipality will be saving now that the decision to insource is being implemented will be reinvested into service delivery projects that will ensure water is delivered through yard connections for every household in the iLembe District.” Concluded Shandu.

The thirty (30) 16,000 Water Tankers have been procured at a once-off cost in the region of R95,3 million including VAT.