On Friday 15 March, the North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Public Works, Roads and Transport conducted an oversight visit at the Moretele Local Municipality, inspecting the status of the Brits to Pylkop; Swartdam to Makapanstad; and Boshoek to Pella roads.
These roads were included in the Provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport’s Annual Performance Plan (APP), that they will be done by the end of the financial year.
In a presentation he made to the Committee, Director for Roads Planning and Design, Alfred Mafune, said on the road from Boshoek to Pella, the department was in the process of establishing a site.
“The road from Brits to Pylkop went on tender but the department could not find a contractor who could do it, as it was a bridge that one farmer cut and put a slab on. It will be re-advertised again in this financial year.
“Swartdam to Makapanstad went on tender in November last year, adjudication has been completed and it will be awarded on Tuesday, 19 March,” said Mr Mafune.
Mr Mafune admitted to the Committee that the reason for the non-completion of these roads was due to the fact that some of the senior management in the department were on suspension and that has caused a delay in procurements.
Both the Committee and the Technical Portfolio Committee in Moretele Local Municipality were not pleased at all with the presentation, stating that Swartdam road has been on the department’s APP since 2009/10 financial year.
Chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Galeng said the Committee was expecting the department to at least say the roads a half way complete since it’s the end of the financial year. “All these roads were in the department’s APP and there was a budget allocated to them, what makes the department fail to deliver is a mystery to me,” said Hon. Galeng.
Chairperson of the Technical Portfolio Committee in Moretele Local Municipality, Monaheng Andries, also expressed his disappointment in the department’s failure to deliver on what it had promised to do for the people of Moretele.
“The department is really disappointing us as councillors in this municipality. We are sitting on a very hot sit here as people do not understand that it is the department’s competency to deliver on these roads.
“They are not here when people are protesting, destroying the municipality’s valuables and properties. The road between Swaartdam and Makapanstad is always on the list of all grievances submitted to this municipality,” he said.
Hon Galeng said the Committee will now start to monitor progress on these roads on a weekly basis. “The people of Moretele has suffered the same fate as the people who stay along the Koster-Lichtenberg road. I do not know what the department is doing and what is delaying it.
We will now have to monitor the department on a weekly basis, to check whether they are doing what they had planned to do,” he said.
The department has been asked to submit a detailed report by Tuesday 19 March on how far they are with all the roads. The report together with the report of the Committee will be tabled in the House for a debate.
For more information can contact:
Namhla Luhabe
Cell: 079 527 0628
