Seventy percent of the Eastern Cape Education department employees utilise their own transport to work, and of that, only sixty percent utilise locals to wash and clean their vehicles onsite since these services are barely offered by a formal company internally.

These locals who have opted to embark on this mission of washing cars onsite, do this despite the fact that they don’t rent nor pay a dime for utilising departmental water to do their jobs. According to Auxiliary Services Chief Administration Clerk, Nontyantyambo Dubula, the department does not lose a lot for informally subsidising these car washing groups as donot use too much water.

“The people cleaning cars within the department are not using pipes instead they are using 20 litres to fetch water, which is why they don’t cost the department much.A car wash is like a drop in an ocean”, said Dubula.

Dubula also added that all government cars in the department are not washed onsite but at the Department of Transport in King Williams Town. “If the department can absorb these people for this service of washing cars, and make them its employees, that can save time and money for the department” she said.

The Communication’s Administration Clerk, Dinoe Matroko, stated that the service of the car wash is dearly needed by car owner because formal companies offering these services as far from her office.  “They cost a fair amount, although sometimes you can leave your car there in the morning and only to find out that when you go and collect it during the lunch time you will find it unattended”, said Matroko.

One of the car washers, Siyabonga Ntusi, explained that they are charging cars according to their sizes. He added that there are four of them who are working as car washers within the department.  “For each car we use about 40 to 80 litres of water. Certain days are better as we wash more cars, that leads to us not being able to do our work properly because wework under pressure at that moment and we ending updoing some mistakes”, said Ntusi.

Ntusi confirmed that working very well with our customers has improved their business prospects because customers can now report when they are not satisfied with the service. “I’m happy if my customer is happy about myservice and all of us always make sure that we improve our service”, concludes Ntusi.