Plans by the King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) Local Municipality to regulate traffic in Mthatha’s congested central business district have collapsed after the theft of electronic sensors which formed the core of the town’s new paid parking system.
The system was introduced just 10 months ago to address long-standing issues of lawlessness in the CBD, where motorists frequently parked on pavements and in non-designated areas due to a shortage of formal parking.
Implemented by service provider Quick Park Africa, the scheme involved the installation of electronic sensors in bays along several busy streets — including Madeira, Sutherland, Owen, York and Leeds — and the deployment of about 100 local youngsters as parking marshals.
Each marshal was equipped with a hand-held device to monitor parking times and issue printed tickets.
Motorists were charged R15 for the first hour of parking.
However, the system has effectively been suspended after the sensors were removed, allegedly by a criminal syndicate operating at night.
“A criminal syndicate removed all sensors,” municipal spokesperson Sonwabo Mampoza said this week.
“These sensors are the heartbeat and anchor of the parking management system. Without them, the system is dead.”
He said the municipality had developed a plan to address the problem, but did not elaborate on the details.
The absence of functioning sensors has led Quick Park Africa to withdraw its marshals from the streets.
Despite this, Mampoza said, the municipality’s three-year agreement with the company remained in place and efforts were under way to restore the system.
“We are still working to ensure that the company resumes services,” he said.
“We condemn these criminal acts as they undermine the municipality’s efforts to manage traffic and improve safety.”
Mthatha has made several unsuccessful attempts to implement a paid parking system.
In 2014, Park Point, a Tshwane operator, introduced a R5-an-hour scheme which ended within a year due to poor compliance and financial losses.
Other initiatives, including efforts led by a self-described traffic expert in 2017 and a separate scheme by KwaZulu-Natal-based Mikros/Calabash Ventures in 2018, also failed to take hold.
Business owners have expressed mixed views on the latest attempt.
Eastern Cape Chamber of Business president Vuyisile Ntlabati said the R15 hourly rate was unaffordable for many, but acknowledged the need for managed parking to reduce congestion.
“They need to work with police and security companies,” he said.
“There is also a lack of visibility by municipal police. Some businesses have offered to pay for surveillance cameras.”
Madyibi Ngxekana, spokesperson for the Mthatha Ratepayers and Residents’ Association and a KSD councillor, claimed the deal with Quick Park Africa had never been tabled for council approval.
“The community was not consulted,” he said.
“It was just imposed. When we called for the mayor to explain, he didn’t show up.”
UDM councillor Raymond Knock echoed concerns about the cost and lack of transparency.
“We thought municipal inspectors would manage parking and meters would be installed,” he said.
“By the time it reached us, the decision had already been made.
“This is not the first time council has been bypassed — the same happened with the CCTV project in 2012.”
Daily Dispatch
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