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Over the past few days, members of the opposition have repeatedly claimed that City of Tshwane firefighting vehicles have been repossessed because the City cannot pay its bills. This claim is false and misleading.
To be clear, there are no Emergency Services vehicles that have been repossessed as a result of non-payment.
It is disappointing that public representatives would make and repeat such a serious allegation without first establishing the facts. Residents should be able to expect that claims made by elected representatives, particularly about something as important as the City's emergency-response capacity, are based on evidence rather than speculation.
The City does have Emergency Services vehicles that are currently undergoing repairs and maintenance. This is entirely normal for an operational fleet of this size and complexity. These vehicles have a range of identified mechanical and technical faults and are at various stages of the repair process.
Emergency vehicles are also highly specialised assets. Certain repairs require specialist service providers, while some replacement parts must be sourced internationally. This can unfortunately extend the period for which individual vehicles remain unavailable.
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