Taxpayers will shell out R7-million in penalties and wages for an Eastern Cape road construction project where no work has taken place since September last year.
Desperation and anger over 200 community jobs is behind the ructions and fears are mounting in Bhisho that the state will lose R220-million if the company, unable to work, pulls out of the contract.
This would be the contract amount that would have to be paid even if the road is not completed, as well as the penalties and wages.
The company was appointed to resurface a 17km stretch of road which joins to the R61 near Port St Johns. The new road will connect Isilimela Hospital to Port St Johns.
Pangas were drawn and road workers threatened last week, the Dispatch was told.
One of the road workers, Xolile Mbelentshe, yesterday said: “We have not been working for three weeks now after being stopped by people in the area. They all wanted to be employed in this project.”
He said it was their first day back on site yesterday. But tensions remain.
Roads and public works department spokesman Mphumzi Zuzile said troubles had started in September when villagers started blockading the road demanding to be employed.
“We are worried because there’s a possibility that the company will pull out and we are going to lose millions of rands,” Zuzile said.
Resident Vice Xuba said a vehicle had been stoned two weeks ago during clashes among residents over the project. Xuba accused workers on site of employing “their friends” and not people from the community.
Another resident Maxabisa Ndamase said there had been toyi-toyi protests on the 16th and 17th of last month.
The youth blocked the road with water pipes, logs and stones and burned tyres.
A number of vehicles were stoned during the violence.
There was no schooling on those days.
Ndamase said their local headman called a meeting with all villagers last Saturday.
“This has made us angry because we did not know the youth would embark on such action. There is no valid reason for them to do so. We took a decision that they must stop doing that.
“If they want to embark on a strike or protest of that nature, they have to call all villagers so that everyone can understand clearly what is going on.”
The roads department now finds itself between a rock and a hard place as it must pay up to R180000 for each day of work lost.
The contract states that the department has a legal obligation to protect the company.
“We appeal to the community of Port St Johns to allow the company to work on site,” Zuzile said.
The project started in May, and work was on-and-off in September resulting in the department losing 20 days of work until the end of the year.
Since the beginning of the year, the department has lost an additional 22 days of work, said Zuzile.
This means at least 42 days of work have been lost so far.
The spokesman said the department was losing between R150000 to R180000 a day for unworked hours.
Zuzile said that last week locals wielding pangas had demanded to be given jobs on the project and chased other workers from the site. The company had since moved some of their staff to KwaZulu-Natal.
This was the latest of several confrontations.
He said the project had been at a total standstill since the start of the year.
Public works MEC Thandiswa Marawu had intervened and tried to resolve the impasse.
Meetings were held with representatives from the Port St Johns Local Municipality, ANC regional structures and the community.
This week Marawu met with traditional leaders, taxi associations and local businesses.
“They are going to benefit as well from this road,” said Zuzile.
The spokesman said 200 locals were employed on the project and they stood to lose their jobs if the company withdrew.
He said police were monitoring the situation.
“We do suspect outside influences. We are told that some of the people employed in the project are among the protesters,” Zuzile said.
He said there were rumours that certain individuals in the community were allegedly “bankrolling” the protesters as the youths have been seen drinking liquor and having a braai after a day of protest.
The project manager for HHO Africa Infrastructure Engineers in East London, Randall Dirks, referred questions to the provincial roads department.
R220m road to nowhere- Public works losing R180k per day due to protestors
Desperation and anger over 200 community jobs is behind the ructions and fears are mounting in Bhisho that the state will lose R220-million if the company, unable to work, pulls out of the contract.
This would be the contract amount that would have to be paid even if the road is not completed, as well as the penalties and wages.
The company was appointed to resurface a 17km stretch of road which joins to the R61 near Port St Johns. The new road will connect Isilimela Hospital to Port St Johns.
Pangas were drawn and road workers threatened last week, the Dispatch was told.
One of the road workers, Xolile Mbelentshe, yesterday said: “We have not been working for three weeks now after being stopped by people in the area. They all wanted to be employed in this project.”
He said it was their first day back on site yesterday. But tensions remain.
Roads and public works department spokesman Mphumzi Zuzile said troubles had started in September when villagers started blockading the road demanding to be employed.
“We are worried because there’s a possibility that the company will pull out and we are going to lose millions of rands,” Zuzile said.
Resident Vice Xuba said a vehicle had been stoned two weeks ago during clashes among residents over the project. Xuba accused workers on site of employing “their friends” and not people from the community.
Another resident Maxabisa Ndamase said there had been toyi-toyi protests on the 16th and 17th of last month.
The youth blocked the road with water pipes, logs and stones and burned tyres.
A number of vehicles were stoned during the violence.
There was no schooling on those days.
Ndamase said their local headman called a meeting with all villagers last Saturday.
“This has made us angry because we did not know the youth would embark on such action. There is no valid reason for them to do so. We took a decision that they must stop doing that.
“If they want to embark on a strike or protest of that nature, they have to call all villagers so that everyone can understand clearly what is going on.”
The roads department now finds itself between a rock and a hard place as it must pay up to R180000 for each day of work lost.
The contract states that the department has a legal obligation to protect the company.
“We appeal to the community of Port St Johns to allow the company to work on site,” Zuzile said.
The project started in May, and work was on-and-off in September resulting in the department losing 20 days of work until the end of the year.
Since the beginning of the year, the department has lost an additional 22 days of work, said Zuzile.
This means at least 42 days of work have been lost so far.
The spokesman said the department was losing between R150000 to R180000 a day for unworked hours.
Zuzile said that last week locals wielding pangas had demanded to be given jobs on the project and chased other workers from the site. The company had since moved some of their staff to KwaZulu-Natal.
This was the latest of several confrontations.
He said the project had been at a total standstill since the start of the year.
Public works MEC Thandiswa Marawu had intervened and tried to resolve the impasse.
Meetings were held with representatives from the Port St Johns Local Municipality, ANC regional structures and the community.
This week Marawu met with traditional leaders, taxi associations and local businesses.
“They are going to benefit as well from this road,” said Zuzile.
The spokesman said 200 locals were employed on the project and they stood to lose their jobs if the company withdrew.
He said police were monitoring the situation.
“We do suspect outside influences. We are told that some of the people employed in the project are among the protesters,” Zuzile said.
He said there were rumours that certain individuals in the community were allegedly “bankrolling” the protesters as the youths have been seen drinking liquor and having a braai after a day of protest.
The project manager for HHO Africa Infrastructure Engineers in East London, Randall Dirks, referred questions to the provincial roads department.
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