Note to Broadcasters: Please find linked soundbite in English by Winston Rabotapi MPL.
During a DA oversight inspection in Ratlou Local Municipality we were appalled by the state of the unfinished Kraaipan Internal Access Road project.
This partially completed road in the Kraaipan area of Tlhakajeng connects two provincial roads and leads to the Tlhakajeng Primary School, making learner transport extremely difficult and unsafe. (See images here, here, here and here)
The construction of the road commenced in April 2021 and was to be handed over in December 2021. The first phase of 1.6 km of tarred road has been completed, but the second and third phases of 2.8 kms of paved road surface has collapsed due to poor workmanship, making the road impassable. Despite this, the contractor, Dikelellong Engineers and Project Managers, was paid R11,5 million. The contractor abandoned the site and failed to pay the subcontractor, Excellence Business Academy, leaving the road in disrepair and workers without pay.
The DA will write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Premier, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Aaron Motswana, requesting him to summon the municipality to appear before it to account for this collapsed project. Our efforts to reach out to the Acting Municipal Manager, Auchalie Mothusi, to obtain additional information surrounding this project proved futile.
It is unacceptable that the Ratlou Local Municipality failed to invoke remedies and penalties to ensure that the contractor delivers a completed project in line with the contract agreement.