Daycare’s gift bus a black hole for cash
A DONATION, welcomed with open arms about two years ago, has turned into a living nightmare for its recipients.
The school bus given by Kaizer Chiefs to a Mdantsane daycare centre is gathering dust at a panelbeater after breaking down yet again and the destitute centre is at wits end over their rundown gift.
Dibashe Daycare received the Volkswagen 22-seater from the football club after it was nominated by a Mdantsane resident as a beneficiary of a scholar bus worth R500 000 in June 2015.
Daycare manager Phumla Goje said the bus, meant to be a blessing, had brought turmoil since it arrived in September 2016. She has spent endless money from her own pocket getting it towed to different mechanics, and is now ready for the club to “come fetch it”.
The bus lies in wait for Goje to tow it back to Mdantsane once more from Kesh Auto Repairs & Services in Beacon Bay. Workshop owner Keshwin Bhana told the Dispatch “a lot” was wrong with the bus. “We can’t communicate with it because of its auto-electrical faults. A whole lot of things aren’t adding up. I’ve told the daycare that on our side we’ve hit a wall, and the best thing they can do is to pick it up. I won’t lie, the bus has had a tough life,” he said.
The daycare cares for 200 children between infancy and six years, and Goje said the bus was meant to change their lives for the better. “We appreciated the donation so much when we first received it because we’re really struggling without transport, but the bus is no longer an asset – it has become a liability.”
Goje said after the centre’s eligibility was approved by the football club, she was told to send quotations of the bus of their choice to the club’s managers.
“We had found a bus we loved here in East London which was R490 000.
“We sent its details through but the managers told me that they would look for a cheaper bus in Johannesburg for us, and we accepted that because it was a gift. We just asked them to give us a bus that was still in good condition.”
Goje said a year passed without her hearing anything from the club, and the following year, in June 2016, she drove to the club’s offices in Naturena to enquire about their prize.
“They went quiet on us so I decided we should drive ourselves there. When we got there, they promised they’d deliver it.
“In September the bus was delivered from Joburg, and we threw a big party to welcome it. If only we knew that we were welcoming bigger problems into our lives.”
Goje said the bus gave trouble immediately after it arrived, and the two drivers who brought it to East London said it could need “wheel aligning because they’d driven it a long distance”.
“We suspected almost immediately that it wasn’t a new bus, but I was shocked to find out it was a 2013 model and its warranty had expired. The club has sent me from pillar to post, and I’m just ready for them to fetch their bus.”
An East London motor dealer principal who checked the car’s history confirmed that the bus was indeed a 2013 model.
“The warranty inception date on the vehicle is February 2013, which means the car was first active on that date. The warranty expired in 2015 because it was for two years’ unlimited mileage. They must have received it as a second-hand vehicle,” he said.
When asked for comment, Kaizer Chiefs corporate communications manager Vina Maphosa said: “I cannot give a response from the top of my head because of the nature of this matter.
“I need to follow it up with the department that handles such matters and will let you know the day I have a response.” —