The Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (Misa) has come under harsh criticism from MPs for neglecting “due diligence” when recommending the controversial Siyenza Group.
Siyenza was appointed to construct 66000 toilet structures for a sanitation project of the Amathole District Municipality (ADM).
The project was terminated amid allegations the company submitted tax documents not issued by the South African Revenue Services (SARS).
The appointment was executed using section 32 of the supply chain management regulations, which allowed ADM to appoint Siyenza because the company had a similar project with Misa in Northern Cape.
The project, halted about three months ago, came under scrutiny when parliament’s joint committee on the water and sanitation and the cooperative governance and traditional affairs portfolios came to the province this week. Speaking with the Daily Dispatch yesterday, committee chair Mlungisi Johnson said Misa should take most of the blame for the appointment.
When Siyenza was appointed to the ADM, the company was busy with a R119-million sanitation tender in the Northern Cape, which has since been terminated.
“This mainly resides more with Misa. ADM is just a beneficiary of the project.
“The district needs to be applauded for having been vigilant having observed a few anomalies, hence it cancelled the project.
“The media played its role, because the ADM saw itself with egg on its face as if they were the ones that brought Siyenza, yet it is the other way around,” Johnson said.
After a briefing by the ADM leaders, the delegation of parliamentarians went to Stutterheim in the Amahlati local municipality on an in-location visit.
Shoddy workmanship and poor quality of the work done by Siyenza for the R631-million ADM sanitation project was laid bare for the first time since its commencement, to the MPs.
Democratic Alliance (DA) water and sanitation spokesman Leon Basson said there was overall concern from committee members about the quality of the toilet structures.
“The toilets built by Siyenza Group in Stutterheim are of bad quality and dangerous for small children.
“This is a health risk with a very strong smell.
“The committee agreed that we need to look at better solutions for toilets and will request the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to present to us with their finding of different kinds of toilets that could work for South Africa,” Basson said.
This was echoed by Johnson, who identified numerous faults with units including odour, poor building material and depth of the hole.
MPs slam infrastructure agency
Siyenza was appointed to construct 66000 toilet structures for a sanitation project of the Amathole District Municipality (ADM).
The project was terminated amid allegations the company submitted tax documents not issued by the South African Revenue Services (SARS).
The appointment was executed using section 32 of the supply chain management regulations, which allowed ADM to appoint Siyenza because the company had a similar project with Misa in Northern Cape.
The project, halted about three months ago, came under scrutiny when parliament’s joint committee on the water and sanitation and the cooperative governance and traditional affairs portfolios came to the province this week. Speaking with the Daily Dispatch yesterday, committee chair Mlungisi Johnson said Misa should take most of the blame for the appointment.
When Siyenza was appointed to the ADM, the company was busy with a R119-million sanitation tender in the Northern Cape, which has since been terminated.
“This mainly resides more with Misa. ADM is just a beneficiary of the project.
“The district needs to be applauded for having been vigilant having observed a few anomalies, hence it cancelled the project.
“The media played its role, because the ADM saw itself with egg on its face as if they were the ones that brought Siyenza, yet it is the other way around,” Johnson said.
After a briefing by the ADM leaders, the delegation of parliamentarians went to Stutterheim in the Amahlati local municipality on an in-location visit.
Shoddy workmanship and poor quality of the work done by Siyenza for the R631-million ADM sanitation project was laid bare for the first time since its commencement, to the MPs.
Democratic Alliance (DA) water and sanitation spokesman Leon Basson said there was overall concern from committee members about the quality of the toilet structures.
“The toilets built by Siyenza Group in Stutterheim are of bad quality and dangerous for small children.
“This is a health risk with a very strong smell.
“The committee agreed that we need to look at better solutions for toilets and will request the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to present to us with their finding of different kinds of toilets that could work for South Africa,” Basson said.
This was echoed by Johnson, who identified numerous faults with units including odour, poor building material and depth of the hole.
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