Isinqumo salesi sivumelwano, esikhethekile sezinjini ezingama-2 litre, singaqhubeka ekwindla ezayo, ngemva kokuqinisekiswa kokugcina yizinkantolo.
Uyalukhumbula udaba lokukhishwa kwesisi esingcolisa umoya ezinhlotsheni zeDizili zeVolkswagen Group? Yebo yebo. Iyunithi yokulawula eyayiphethe ukusebenza kwenjini, ihlaziya uchungechunge lwamapharamitha, “yayazi” lapho kwenziwa ukuhlolwa kokulawula ukungcola, futhi yaqala olunye uhlelo olwaluvumela ukuthotshelwa kwezindinganiso phakathi nokuhlolwa. Lapho kuqedwa ukuhlolwa, uhlelo olujwayelekile luphinde lwenziwa lusebenze, okuholele kumanani okukhishwa kwe-NOx (nitrogen oxides) angadlula izikhathi ezingama-40 kunomkhawulo ovunyelwe.
Ukukhwabanisa kwatholakala e-US kodwa ngokushesha kwafinyelela ezingeni lomhlaba. Zingaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-11 izimoto ezithintekile, ikakhulukazi e-Europe, lapho ukuthembela ezinjini zikadizili kuphezulu. Amagagasi okwethuka ayemakhulu futhi esazenza azizwele. Kwadala ukungathembani nokuntuleka kokwethembeka kuyo yonke imboni, kwashintsha amasu, ukuthengisa okuthintekile, kwafaka ingcindezi kosopolitiki nemithethonqubo. KuVolkswagen Group, imiphumela ye-Dieselgate ibonakala ibe mikhulu futhi iyabiza.
Izinombolo zokuqala ziqala ukufika ngokunembile zivela e-USA, indawo okusuka kuyo "isiphepho". Isivumelwano - okuyinto eqinisweni eziningana - imenyezelwe phakathi Volkswagen Group, USA, State of California kanye US FTC (United States Federal Trade Commission). Imininingwane yesivumelwano ichaza izenzo kanye nezindleko ezihambisanayo iVolkswagen okuzodingeka ihambisane nazo.
Sekukonke iVolkswagen kuzodingeka ikhokhe amadola ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane eziyi-14.7 (cishe ama-euro ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane eziyi-13.26) asatshalaliswe kanje:
- kufika ku-US$10.03 billion yesinxephezelo sabathengi
- $4.7 billion ekutshalweni kwezimali ohlelweni lokunciphisa ukungcola
Ngokuningiliziwe, mayelana nabathengi, kunezinketho eziningana. Uma bengabanikazi bezimoto ezingu-475,000 ezithintekile, amakhasimende angathengisa imoto yawo abuyele kwaVolkswagen ngemali ephakathi kuka-12,500 no-44,000 wamadola (kuye ngokuthi imodeli). Uma benenkontileka yokuqashisa, banganqamula inkontileka ngaphandle kwanoma yiziphi izindleko ezihlobene. Kubathengi ababolekwe imali ukuze bathenge imoto, futhi uma inani lemali ebolekiwe lingaphezulu kwenani lezentengiselwano lemoto, bangakhetha intethelelo yemali ebolekiwe engakhokhiwe, okuzothathwa yiVolkswagen, ezokhokha kuze kufike ku-130. % yenani, kuye ngomsuka wemali mboleko.
Enye inketho ukukhanda izimoto uma iVolkswagen ithola isisombululo esigunyazwe yi-EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) noma i-CARB (California Air Resources Board). Njengoba kunezindinganiso eziqinile zokukhipha umoya, nomehluko phakathi kwezinjini kuwo womabili amazwekazi, isixazululo esisetshenziswa eYurophu ngeke siyixazulule inkinga e-USA. Ukuze le ngxenye yesivumelwano iqale ukusebenza, okungenani amaphesenti angama-85 ezimoto ezithintekayo kuyodingeka afakwe ezindlekweni ezihlukahlukene eziveziwe. Uma kwenzeka ukungalandelwa kwesabelo, izimali ezengeziwe kuzodingeka zenziwe zitholakale ohlelweni lokunciphisa ukungcola.
Ezigidigidini zamaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-4.7 ezabelwe uhlelo lokunciphisa ukungcola, amaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-2.7 azokwabelwa isikhwama semiklamo kazwelonke, phakathi neminyaka emithathu, okuzogxila ekunciphiseni ukukhishwa kwe-NOx ezindaweni lapho zitholakala khona noma i-EA189 2.0 izinjini zisetshenziswa. Kuzoqokwa uhlaka oluzimele oluzophatha lesi sikhwama. Izigidigidi ezi-2 ezisele zizotshalwa ekuthuthukiseni ingqalasizinda kanye nasezinhlelweni zokufinyelela nokuqwashisa ngezimoto ezingakhiqizi nhlobo. Isinqumo salesi sivumelwano, esikhethekile sezinjini ezingama-2 litre, singaqhubeka ekwindla ezayo, ngemva kokuqinisekiswa kokugcina yizinkantolo. Futhi izinqubo eziningi ziyaqhubeka ukwenzeka ezingxenyeni ezihlukahlukene zomhlaba, hhayi kuphela ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuthotshelwa komthetho noma ukungahambisani nomthetho kanye nesinxephezelo nezinxephezelo ezifanele, kanye nezinqubo zesibopho sezomthetho somphakathi nobugebengu.
Ngemuva kwalesi sigameko, akukho okuzofana. Amandla ezepolitiki kanye nemboni yezimoto kumele kufinyelelwe esivumelwaneni sokubuyekeza ngokuhlanganyela imithetho yokugunyazwa kokukhishwa kwezimoto ezikhishwa yizimoto, osekubangele ubuhlungu bekhanda abaningi hhayi nje kwaVolkswagen, kodwa kuyo yonke imboni.