Motor vehicles inspection firm cries foul

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 local firm has threatened to start billing a consultant manning an upgraded Malawi Traffic Information System (Maltis) from South Africa for loss of revenue due to delays to be connected to the system for over a year.

According to documents we have seen, the Blantyre-based company, F & M Motors, has been waiting for 15 months to start operating a vehicle inspection service (VIS) despite being licensed with the Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) in January 2021.

Meanwhile, government has acknowledged the existing challenges, and attributes the delays to failure by the consultant to handover the system to the Malawi government.

Government has over the past few years been outsourcing VIS to private operators to decongest DRTSS and reduce the time it takes to access services.

In an interview this week, Minister of Transport Jacob Hara pointed out that DRTSS is having problems connecting service providers because government does not have full access to the system.

He said: “We now have reached an agreement with the consultant. The consultant will slowly be handing over rights to government. When government fully takes over, we will be able to connect as many private service providers as it will be necessary to do so.”

In a letter we have seen, dated April 25 2022, addressed to Hara, the firm’s operations manager Mussa Lambat indicates that he intends to start billing the consultant Movesa and Fischer Consulting for expenses being incurred such as repayment of loans, Internet services and salaries for motor examiners who are not working.

Reads the letter: “Our examiners’ licences have expired and need to be renewed, Malawi Bureau of Standards calibration fees were paid in vain and all have to be renewed. Our suppliers of equipment have to come down to service the machines, as we have not been in operation because of failure by the consultant to connect us to the Maltis system.”

Another letter dated April 29 2022 and addressed to director of DRTSS Andrew Sandula titled ‘Installation and Connectivity to Maltis’, Lambat queries how two new VIS stations—one in Blantyre and another one in Lilongwe, respectively [also using analogue system] were connected in March 2022 while F & M Motors continues to be ignored.

In an interview, Lambat indicated that the situation is frustrating, considering the huge investment made in buying expensive machines and servicing loans.

He said: “I have been writing the consultant on the delays and at first I was told that the hardware I had bought was not matching with the system but other VIS are also using the same hardware, including the one being run by Movesa. As a Malawian, I feel let down to be victimised like this.”

The consultant Gerrit Fischer, in a WhatsApp response, explained that contrary to requirements, F & M Motors installed analogue equipment that cannot be connected to Maltis.

Said Fischer: “Correction of the equipment to the requirements by F and M is awaited for the connection to Maltis to proceed.”

Chairperson for Parliamentary Committee on Transport Uchizi Mkandawire, in a telephone interview on Wednesday, said the committee will take up the matter with the directorate.

Commenting on the issue, Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency executive director Willy Kambwandira said the challenges illustrate that proper contractual procedures were not followed.

He said: “There is need to review the contract, it is clear that government is powerless. We cannot have a government contract where a contractor controls everything. What else is the consultant doing with the system, literally there is no one checking him.”

Government has been grappling to take full control of Maltis and on at least two occasions, it was forced to extend the contract period with the consultant, in an effort to iron out outstanding issues, such as skills transfer to local staff, and an outstanding payment to the firm.

Earlier, the DTRSS gave the firm a January 2019 deadline—six months after the initial deadline elapsed—to hand over the system, which includes a source code for the system currently being operated from South Africa.  

Some local players have also been crying foul over charges by the consultant for them to operate VIS and to be connected to the database.