Note to Editors: Please note Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is outraged by the gross mismanagement, lack of oversight and accountability from officials within KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Department of Transport regarding the Klein Boesmans (Mathamo) River Bridge project in Zwelisha within the uThukela District Municipality.
This infrastructure project – begun in February 2020 and due for completion in May 2021- is currently only 65% complete despite almost 97% of the allocated budget already being spent. (view here, here and here) This amounts to a near-total collapse of project delivery, with the contractor, Leek Construction, having abandoned the site entirely.
The delays and abandonment have left residents stranded without a critical transport link, cutting off access to schools, health care, and economic opportunities.
The DoT’s own internal report reads like a case study in failure. A contractor plagued by cash flow issues, construction delays exacerbated by avoidable mistakes and an apparent breakdown in contract management and supervision. Excuses such as COVID-19 and weather conditions do not justify years of stagnation, nor do they absolve the department from failing to take decisive action sooner.
The DA is also concerned by the DoT’s silence on the disbursement of funds intended for Contract Participation Goals (CPGs). While more than R7million has been spent, no portion of this allocation has benefited businesses owned by people with disabilities – despite this being a stipulated requirement. This exclusion is both unlawful and unethical.
We also note with alarm that despite multiple warnings, including letters of poor performance and the issuing of an intention to terminate, there appears to have been no urgency or decisive leadership to salvage the project.
The DA will table urgent written parliamentary questions to KZN Transport MEC, Siboniso Duma, to establish:
1. Why his department allowed this project to collapse without earlier intervention;
2. Who is responsible for monitoring and enforcing contractor performance;
3. Whether disciplinary steps have been taken against any departmental officials;
4. The full financial breakdown of all payments made to the contractor and consultant; and
5. What immediate plans are in place to rescue this vital project.
The residents of Zwelisha and surrounding areas deserve proper service delivery. They do not deserve to watch as tens of millions of rands are poured into a pit of incompetence and neglect.
The DA will not rest until there is full accountability and the Klein Boesmans River Bridge is completed. We stand with the affected communities and demand that public money be used to serve the public interest – not the pockets of failing contractors and indifferent officials.