Then last year was not an easy one, but it was certainly one of small wins that contributed to a significant difference in the lives and livelihoods of the residents of Joburg, and further bettering the status of the City itself.
These small wins that play a role in the repair and rebuild of Joburg are not always immediately apparent and they take time to be realized.
One such win, was the completion of this tender process and the awarding of the Red Fleet contract in May of 2022 to Marcé Fire Fighting Technology, which has a 20-year track record of manufacturing quality specialised vehicles for Government Departments and Entities across all three spheres, namely National, Provincial and Local.
Today marks the beginning of the manufacturing of 17 specialised firefighting engines or our Red Fleet that will service Joburg’s 31 fire stations across all 7 Regions, operated by the City of Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services.
These vehicles, which will be handed over to the Department of Public Safety will contribute to the Mayoral Priority of building a safer and more secure City by enhancing response times and ensuring that when residents and businesses are faced with the unfortunate event of a fire or related emergency, they can rest assured that there will be vehicles available to save property and lives.
Programme Director,
On average, the City’s EMS responds to over 250,000 calls in a calendar year, making the Joburg EMS one of the biggest and busiest emergency services on the African continent.
Therefore, it is vital that our women and men of the Joburg EMS will have the right tools at their disposal in order to effectively dispense of their life-saving duties, on a 24/7 basis, 365-days of the year.
Furthermore, it brings me great joy to also note that these vehicles are being manufactured on South Africa soil, therefore contributing to much-needed local economic activity, as well as job creation and sustainability.
As the City Executive we can also rest easy knowing that our existing fleet, as well as this new fleet, which will roll off this floor over the next year, will be repaired and maintained at the highest standards through a three-year contract that commenced in March 2022 and will expire in February 2025. As the Multi-Party Government, we not only looking at today, but we are looking at a sustained repair and rebuild programmed for the City and its 6-million residents.
In closing, I would like to thank and congratulate the MMC for Group Corporate and Shared Services, Cllr Leah Knott, and the Officials from the Department for concluding this critical process that will ensure better service delivery from the City and the Multi-Party Government.
I cannot wait to see the first vehicles roll off this floor and handed over to the Department of Public Safety and EMS.
Indeed, we are a City and Government at work. No matter what political head winds we may face, the residents of Joburg can find solace knowing that the Joburg Multi-Party Government is working for and with them to repair and rebuild the City of Gold.
Ke a leboga, Thank you.
ENDS…
16/01/2023
