Joburg silent on extent of fuel crisis after Kenny Kunene reveals JRA fleet grounded

A public warning by Johannesburg Transport MMC Kenny Kunene that fuel services to the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) fleet have been suspended has triggered fresh questions about the state of the City’s finances, with opposition parties alleging the problem extends far beyond the roads agency.

In an extraordinary statement issued on Monday, Kunene said the City’s liquidity challenges had resulted in the suspension of refuelling services for the JRA fleet from 15 June, grounding vehicles responsible for pothole repairs, traffic signal maintenance, stormwater emergencies and critical infrastructure inspections.

“The financial and liquidity challenges facing the City of Johannesburg has moved from balancing books to the daily reality on our streets,” Kunene said.

“Grounding the JRA fleet by cutting off fuel services means we are effectively cutting the lifeblood of our operations on the ground.”

The statement is one of the clearest public acknowledgements yet by a member of the governing coalition that Johannesburg’s cash-flow problems are directly affecting service delivery.

However, despite repeated requests for clarification, the City has not explained the extent of the crisis.

Repeated questions were sent to the Office of Executive Mayor Dada Morero, mayoral spokesperson Vuyiswa Ramokgopa and the City’s media office seeking urgent clarification following Kunene’s statement. By the time of publication, no response had been received.

Among the questions posed were whether the fuel suspension was limited to the JRA, whether other departments or municipal entities were affected, how much was owed to suppliers and what measures were being taken to restore services.

The lack of answers leaves residents in the dark about whether the crisis extends beyond road maintenance operations and affects other frontline services.

The Democratic Alliance claims it does.

‘Multiple departments affected’

DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said information available to the party suggested the fuel shortages were affecting multiple departments and entities, including Johannesburg Water and Pikitup.

“The Democratic Alliance has been reliably informed that the ANC-led City of Johannesburg is facing a fuel crisis that has left municipal vehicles grounded and now threatens service delivery across the city,” she said.

“The consequences for residents are obvious – a standstill in service delivery.

“Potholes cannot be repaired, traffic lights cannot be fixed, refuse cannot be collected and water infrastructure faults cannot be attended to. This is a crisis that will be felt in every community if it is not addressed urgently.”

The DA further questioned how the City could have passed its budget only days earlier while apparently struggling to fund basic operational requirements.

“What makes this situation even more concerning is that it comes just days after Council passed the City’s budget.

“Residents were told by the Mayor in his [State of the City Address] that the City was ready to deliver services, yet we now find ourselves in a situation where basic operational requirements such as fuel appear to be unaffordable.”

R10-bn wage agreement

Kayser-Echeozonjoku also linked the crisis to ongoing disputes around the Politically Facilitated Agreement (PFA), claiming the City was under pressure to implement an estimated R10-billion wage agreement despite worsening financial conditions.

“The DA respects municipal workers and values the important work they do every day. However, a City that cannot afford fuel for its vehicles cannot afford additional R10-billion financial commitments that place even more pressure on already stretched finances,” she said.

DA Shadow MMC for Transport Sean Kreusch said the grounding of the JRA fleet pointed to a far deeper financial crisis than the City was willing to acknowledge.

“If you can’t fuel vehicles, you can’t deliver services. Metrobus is having similar problems with lack of fuel and unroadworthy buses. Residents are ultimately the ones who suffer. It shows the City is bankrupt. There should be overdraft facilities available for situations like this,” he said.

The suspension of fuel services raised serious concerns about the City’s ability to sustain basic operations despite assurances given during the recent budget process.

Kreusch also suggested the unusual public intervention by Kunene reflected growing political tensions within the governing coalition ahead of November’s local government elections.

“Kenny Kunene has broken ranks with the coalition because he is electioneering for the mayoral position. He wants to present himself as separate from a crisis that has developed under an administration of which he is a senior member,” Kreusch said. DM