Z
outpansberger
21 Augustus 2020
News with an independent soul
PRYS: R5,00 BTW Ing.
www.zoutpansberger.co.za Joubertstraat 16B Louis Trichardt TEL: 516 4996/7/8
“Om nie te kan lees nie, is nie ‘n gestremdheid nie” - bladsy 3
Jaargang 36 Vol.33
Dag gee inwoners ‘n unieke terugblik op die verlede - bladsy 4
ISSN 2409-2835
Audited Distribution Figures
33
9 772409 283001
More heads to roll?
Vukela as more and more questions were being Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure DPWI’s acting director-general, Imtiaz Fazel. asked about the border project. Then, in August, on Tuesday this week. Regarding the above, Fazel recommended More heads are set to roll as investigations came the release of a report on the investigation “A further assessment using market-related criminal charges against the perpetrators. “It into the controversial Beit Bridge border into the project. The report highlighted several prices for materials actually used on site and is also recommended that the department fence tender fiasco unearths more and more alleged procurement and other irregularities, revised fees for engineering services provides should register a criminal case of fraud against irregularities, and in this regard the old to such an extent that the report recommended for a total project cost of R23 388 023.97. This the principal agent, the main contractor, and English proverb that “the road to hell is paved disciplinary charges against 14 senior officials in indicates that project cost was exceeded by the identified officials for misrepresenting to with good intentions” rings true for the Dethe DPWI. an amount of R17 047 891.01. It is therefore the department that the project’s progress was partment of Public Works and Infrastructure The investigation into the project by the apparent that a proper review of the bill of achieved,” said Fazel. (DPWI). department’s anti-corruption unit and the quantities was not conducted by the department, Fazel also added that the “new” fence was The erecting of a new border fence, stretching Special Investigating Unit further found that the and consequently resulted in the contract price clearly never effective. “On 4 and 5 May 2020, some 40km east and west of the Beit Bridge government had paid R17 million more than the being inflated. This also reflects the real risk to we recorded at least 115 breaches of the fence, border post, to protect the citizens of South Afmarket-related cost for this by-now-controverthe DPWI of having failed to test the market. which led to an untold number of unlawful rica was one of the South African government’s sial fencing project. This came to the fore during The 2020 market comparison also indicates that crossings between South Africa and Zimbabwe,” first responses to the global Covid-19 pandemic. a virtual meeting of Parliament’s Portfolio the 2016 rates were inflated at the time,” said the said Fazel. Nothing came of these good intentions, however. From the onset, the newly built R37 million fence was marred by controversy. What soon became apparent was that the fence was of extremely poor quality, with literally everybody poking holes in it, even before it was completed. In June, the issue of the Beit Bridge security fence was fiercely debated in Parliament. The then director-general of the DPWI, Sam Vukela, told Parliament that his department was satisfied that the fence was serving its purpose. His statements contradicted those of his minister, Patricia de Lille, who previously told the same parliamentary committee that they were receiving daily reports of vandalism and theft at the fence. De Lille also said that her department had been advised by its internal anti-corruption unit not to pay any more money to the contractor, but to wait until the investigations had been completed. She said that only R21 million of the R37 million had been paid over to the contractor. De Lille told members of parliament that the auditor-general had been asked to investigate the project. One of the issues raised by members of parliament was why a contract had been awarded to a company that had seemingly failed to deliver a proper service before. The question was also asked whether the department had received the full value of the R37 million awarded. This photo was taken in June during an official inspection of the “new” border fence by amongst others the MEC for Transport and Community July saw the precautionary suspension of Safety, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya. All along the fence, damage was clearly visible. Photo: Bernard Chiguvare. By Andries van Zyl