Officials to answer for Mobipark contract bungle

THREE senior Nelson Mandela Bay safety and security bosses have landed in hot water and may have to fork out R3.8-million for their alleged negligence in handling the controversial Mobipark contract.

This after councillors who siton the municipal public accounts committee (MPAC) unanimously agreed on Thursday that safety and security executive director Shane Brown, licensing services assistant director Koos Visage and traffic and licensing director Hamilton Totoyi be held accountable for the financial loss to the city.

The metro had to fork out a R2.8-million settlement to Mobipark Parking Services earlier this year after its contract was cancelled by the company because the municipality did not meet its obligations to provide infrastructure and maintenance services. As a result, the city also lost out on R1-million it could have made in revenue.

According to the city's contract with Mobipark, it was supposed to provide a parking management system in the metered and non-metered areas in Uitenhage, Despatch and in Govan Mbeki Avenue between Whites Road and Donkin Street from 2009.

However, the city could not meet its obligations due to the infrastructure and engineering directorate shutting down over the 2009 festive season and its involvement with Fifa World Cup preparations.

The Mobipark scheme also suffered a major setback when the upgrading of Market Square at the Uitenhage Town Hall took place, resulting in Mobipark losing out on 127 parking bays a month. - Mkhululi Ndamase and Rochelle de Kock