A tender to fit technology, including emergency lights, number plate recognition devices and in-vehicle cameras for traffic law enforcement, is the main reason the Western Cape government has not yet used 50 brand new BMWs it bought in 2022 for traffic police.

Responding to criticism of the provincial government's failure to use the 50 luxury, German-brand vehicles, which cost millions, Western Cape Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie assured that the cars would be used " urgently".

He said the vehicles were procured to replace an ageing fleet and to meet added transport demands and were parked at the Gene Louw Traffic College for safekeeping while space is freed up at the Government Motor Transport (GMT) facility in Maitland.

His department's Government Motor Transport (GMT) Trading Entity, which is responsible for the procurement, chose to buy the vehicles before the end of last year in order to avoid paying the increased price this year.

"Once the vehicles were delivered, the process of preparing them for use in the traffic law enforcement space was initiated."

The process entails fitting reflective markings and branding, installation of the latest emergency lights and sirens as well as in-vehicle technology, such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera solutions.

According to Mackenzie, manufacture approval is necessary when fitting any technology that integrates with electronics in new vehicles. BMW advised the department that certain components approved for previous models would no longer meet their standards for warranty retention on new models. 

"This required GMT to embark on a tender process to procure the new fittings rather than risk losing the warranty. While this delay was unforeseen and unfortunate, the decision to fit the correct equipment, after following the prescribed tender process, cannot be faulted.”         

"I want to assure the citizens that processes are already well advanced for the fitment of all vehicles, and this matter is being treated with the urgency it deserves," he added.

African National Congress (ANC) MPL Lulama Mvimbi expressed concern over the fact that the cars were parked for more than a year.

"The vehicles cost taxpayers millions for them to just sit idle and not be of service to the people of the Western Cape."

Mvimbi added that they were told there were 110 cars, each priced at more than R850 000, gathering dust.

"It is clear that the provincial traffic is in crisis," he said, accusing the Democratic Alliance (DA) was mismanaging public funds.

"These cars could be used to provide essential traffic services but instead, they are just sitting there, costing taxpayers more money."

"This is a wasteful and fruitless expenditure by the DA. It is also interesting that these vehicles were bought towards the end of the financial year, which smells of and results from fiscal dumping,” he added.

Trade union federation Cosatu also expressed outrage.

"We condemn this wasteful expenditure and demand an investigation immediately," said Cosatu provincial secretary Malvern de Bruyn.

De Bruyn added the vehicles should have been used for effective traffic law enforcement.