NMI DSM, Durban officially handed over a brand-new fleet of 69 service trucks to eThekwini’s Durban Solid Waste (DSW) and Water Services Unit.
Forty of the vehicles are Fuso water tankers and the other 29 are Fuso compactors, waste collection service vehicles, totalling R166 million.
Welcoming the guests to the event, dealer principal, Robbie Van der Merwe, said delivering the fleet was not an easy task, especially with Covid-19.
“I would like congratulate eThekwini on their new fleet. This fleet will have a positive impact on the lives of the community, especially in the rural areas where resources like drinking water are limited and non-existent,” he added. Van der Merwe said 40 water tankers had specific requirements and they were all met. ”
For the compactors, we had to fit automatic transmissions with re-traders, hub reduction axles which we had to source, suspensions also had to be converted to an asymmetrical system and chassis had to be adjusted to achieve and exceed the required payload.”
Van der Merwe thanked eThekwini for the patience as the vehicles were initially set to be completed in June, however, were only delivered four months later.
Maretha Gerber, head of Mercedes-Benz trucks and Dailmer Trucks and Buses, said she was happy that they were finally able to deliver as every city needs a running truck. “If a truck or vehicles are not running, it doesn’t exist,” said Gerber.
