The repair of vehicles at the government garage in Grootfontein is being delayed due to the cumbersome procurement process.

The Gootfontein government garage has fewer vehicles in need of repair than many other such facilities.

Works and Transport Deputy Minister Veikko Nekundi visited the garage and commended the turnover rate, with fewer cars standing around in need of repair. 

The garage's spare parts store reported, though, that they are not spared the headache of procuring spare parts.

"Serious delays are still being experienced in the processing of the orders and in the processing of the invoices, and as a result, the challenges on the ground are that the orders are not arriving on time because of the late payments and the entire process of procurement of the parts, so as a result, there's a serious backlog in the maintenance or reappearance of the vehicles."

They have other issues as well.

"There are some that involve court cases pending since 2014, and if court cases are not finalised as a result, the government garage will not be able to touch the vehicles until the case is finalised; that is basically the overall challenge that one could observe."

Nekundi says the ministry is committed to finding a lasting solution to the tedious procurement process.