Msukaligwa Local Municipality officially handed over a new fleet of vehicles on 15 January 2026 at the Civic Centre in Ermelo, marking a major step towards improving service delivery across the municipality.
The handover was led by Executive Mayor Cllr Mapulane Precious Nkosi, together with Municipal Manager Mr Kunene, who both highlighted the importance of strengthening the municipality’s operational capacity in order to respond more effectively to community needs. The eight vehicles allocated to service delivery units are all single-cab bakkies, with the fleet also expanded to include specialised equipment such as a cherry picker and an excavator.
The newly acquired vehicles are expected to significantly improve response times, particularly in areas such as electricity, waste management, water and sewage services — which remain among the most frequently reported service challenges in the municipality.
Mr Kunene said the acquisition of the new fleet comes at a critical time, as vehicle shortages have hampered teams’ ability to respond to service delivery issues and contributed to backlogs. Executive Mayor Nkosi welcomed the handover, describing it as a critical intervention to improve service delivery and restore public confidence, with the vehicles set to be deployed across key municipal units.
As part of the deployment plan, two vehicles will be dispatched to the sanitation unit, two to the water unit, and one to the electrical and mechanical teams. All five vehicles will be stationed in Ermelo, while additional vehicles will be stationed in Davel, Chrissiesmeer and Sheepmoor to improve operational reach across the municipality.
The cherry picker forms part of a directive by the President and Mpumalanga Premier, Mr Mandla Ndlovu, to reduce the municipality’s reliance on outsourced third-party service providers. It will be used for public lighting projects, the maintenance of streetlights and, where required, for repairs at transformers.
The excavator will be primarily used at the municipal dumpsite to support daily operations and improve waste management efficiency.
Both Nkosi and Kunene said the intervention forms part of the municipality’s broader strategy to improve operational efficiency, strengthen local service delivery capacity and ensure that residents receive reliable and efficient municipal services.