Transport and Public Works
With regard to the Procurement Disclosure Report for quarter 3 of 2020/21:
- What is the total breakdown of the amount paid to Umanyano Travel Service, including the (a) number and details of the taxis from different associations that benefited from this transaction, (b) number of trips undertaken, (c) distance travelled, (d) number of people transported and (e) average cost per kilometre;
- with regard to payments for accommodation and catering, what (a) are the reasons for that expenditure, (b) are the details of the number of persons who made use of accommodation, (c) is the cost per night and (d) is the total amount that the Department spent per person on accommodation and catering?
- (a) The R 37 million paid for Red Dot Transport to Umanyano Travel Services (UTS) in quarter 3 of 2020/21 benefited over 250 mini-bus taxis, drivers, and support staff from 8 regional taxi councils consisting of multiple taxi associations in the Western Cape. Within the 8 regional taxi councils which were given the opportunity to take part in Red Dot, participants were spread across at least 35 different taxi associations. Regional councils involved include CATA (Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association), CODETA (Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations), Mitchells Plain, Northerns, Two Oceans, Greater Cape, Eden, and Boland. Once the service was ramped down mid-December, over 130 vehicles and drivers from the abovementioned regional councils continued to benefit from the service.
(b) In total, over 24,500 trips were undertaken in quarter 3 of 2020/21, transporting both healthcare workers to and from select hospitals and COVID-19 positive patients (or those at risk of infection) to and from Quarantine or Isolation facilities.
(c) To complete these trips, over 1.95 million operating kms were travelled.
(d) Over 111,000 passengers were transported during the period. This value includes both the transport of healthcare workers and COVID-19 positive patients (or those at risk of infection).
(e) All vehicles participating in the service were exclusively used to complete Red Dot related trips and not allowed to continue their normal operations, thus were paid a vehicle availability fee to compensate for loss of income. In addition to this, vehicles were paid a flat rate per operating km. The average cost per km combining these fees, as well as the management fee paid to Umanyano Travel Services for the period, was R18 per km in quarter 3 of 2020/21.
(2) (a) The expenditure for accommodation and catering is in respect of the quarantining and isolation of people in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(b) The number of people as at 17 March 2021 who made use of the facilities in terms of Quarantine is 36 083 and Isolation is 71 153. People’s details, however, fall within the ambit of the Department of Health and this question should therefore be directed to the Minister of Health.
(c) The cost per night varies from facility to facility but does not exceed the Fedhasa rates, as approved by National Treasury,
(d) The total amount as per the Procurement Disclosure Report was spent on the accommodation and catering in terms of quarantining and isolating people as part of the Province’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
