“I have no problem interfering in the administration of the municipality,” Nelson Mandela Bay’s political boss in charge of the bus system, Marlon Daniels, told hundreds of new IPTS recruits yesterday.
Speaking at the launch of the Integrated Public Transport System jobs programme in Cleary Park, Daniels claimed he did not care if his interference landed him in trouble with the city’s “highest office”.
He lambasted officials for not gathering the 1 700 young people he had instructed them to hire as ambassadors to explain the IPTS to residents in the northern areas.
“The biggest gift that officials can give is job opportunities. Our people are not working here,” Daniels said.
“My department has failed the people of Nelson Mandela Bay. I asked for 1 700 people here – I don’t see that [many] here today.”
He said the jobs programme was meant to be launched three months ago, but it had to be postponed as some officials failed to do their jobs properly.
“How can we deprive people of work because we don’t want to do what we’re supposed to do?
“Daai kak stop nou [that s*** stops now],” Daniels said, as the young people laughed and clapped.
Officials from the roads and transport department, who were at the launch, looked at each other and smiled.
“In government there are two legs – there’s a political leg and an administrative leg.
“The issues I have referred to are administrative and therefore officials should take responsibility.
“We are told not to interfere with administrative but I don’t have a problem interfering with the administration, because I cannot fold my arms and leave officials to keep on doing the same thing and hoping for a different result.”


Daniels said the purpose of the project was to create jobs and push up bus ticket sales.
He said running the system was costing the municipality at least six times what it was making from ticket sales.
“These buses are empty. There’s a lot more money spent on keeping these buses on the road than what we’re getting,” Daniels said.
The new recruits, known as “community champions”, were playing a critical role in keeping the system going.
“I was told last month that there was R93-million not spent by the department and I couldn’t sit and fold my arms because if this money is not spent by June 30, it would be returned to national Treasury.
“Why should money be sent back to the Treasury when you could be the beneficiaries?”
Daniels stressed the jobs were not permanent and that the programme would run for about three months.
The IPTS ambassadors would be paid a stipend of between R140 and R200 a day.
Infrastructure and engineering executive director Walter Shaidi said one of the objectives of the ambassadors would be to conduct surveys to ascertain if the buses needed to run at 8pm and exactly where people needed the buses to be.
Lawan Stevens, 22, from Salt Lake, said his new job was keeping him off the streets.
“We’re enjoying it because it’s in our communities and everyone knows us,” Stevens said.
Tania Prinsloo, 28, said she was excited about working on the programme...