Siyenza Group, the company contracted to build 66700 toilets in the province, has not completed even a quarter of the work ahead of its June 30 deadline.
The company has now asked the Amathole District Municipality (ADM) council to extend the deadline to the end of July.
Only 16391 toilets (25%) had been built by April 24. Some 3711 more were built but still needed to be inspected and given clearance to bring the total of completed toilets to 20102.
Siyenza Group did not respond to requests for comment.
Attempts to get an update from the ADM fell flat this weekq.
ADM spokesman Siyabulela Makunga said the municipality would not comment on any of the questions posed regarding the toilet project as public protector Thuli Madonsela was still investigating the award of the project to Siyenza Group.
“We remain committed to openness and transparency, but we strongly feel that Chapter 9 institutions must be given time to review the project without opening public dialogue about the accelerated sanitation project in the media,” he said.
This has been the municipality’s response to all queries on the sanitation project from the Daily Dispatch since the public protector announced that her office would conduct a probe into the multimillion-rand tender.
However, it has emerged that other media houses have been receiving responses from the municipality.
SABC’s investigation programme, Cutting Edge, had a one-on-one interview with ADM municipal manager Chris Magwangqana.
As a result of problems faced by ADM from the start of the project, a multi-stakeholder project steering committee (PSC) was set up to monitor the project.
Council documents tabled before the ADM council late last month reflect that the PSC requested Siyenza to come up with a recovery plan “to rescue the project” as it was behind schedule.
“Siyenza outlined the challenges experienced during the initiation phase of the programme of which some are still pending, such as the suppliers that are not able to meet the demand of 66700 structures by June,” the council report reads.
Reasons Siyenza gave the council for needing an extension of the deadline include:
lDelays in the supply of material to sites due to negotiations still to be conducted with suppliers;
lDesign problems experienced with one of the suppliers, Concretex, which resulted in toilet structures falling and;
lDelays in verification of beneficiary lists.
The Dispatch can also reveal that R215-million has already been spent out of an expected R631-million final bill.
In March, the Dispatch reported that R114-million had been paid to Siyenza Group in several tranches.
The first payment of R31-million was made in September last year, another in December (R63-million) and a third at the end of January (R19-million). — siphem@dispatch.co.za
Only 25% of ADM toilets built
The company has now asked the Amathole District Municipality (ADM) council to extend the deadline to the end of July.
Only 16391 toilets (25%) had been built by April 24. Some 3711 more were built but still needed to be inspected and given clearance to bring the total of completed toilets to 20102.
Siyenza Group did not respond to requests for comment.
Attempts to get an update from the ADM fell flat this weekq.
ADM spokesman Siyabulela Makunga said the municipality would not comment on any of the questions posed regarding the toilet project as public protector Thuli Madonsela was still investigating the award of the project to Siyenza Group.
“We remain committed to openness and transparency, but we strongly feel that Chapter 9 institutions must be given time to review the project without opening public dialogue about the accelerated sanitation project in the media,” he said.
This has been the municipality’s response to all queries on the sanitation project from the Daily Dispatch since the public protector announced that her office would conduct a probe into the multimillion-rand tender.
However, it has emerged that other media houses have been receiving responses from the municipality.
SABC’s investigation programme, Cutting Edge, had a one-on-one interview with ADM municipal manager Chris Magwangqana.
As a result of problems faced by ADM from the start of the project, a multi-stakeholder project steering committee (PSC) was set up to monitor the project.
Council documents tabled before the ADM council late last month reflect that the PSC requested Siyenza to come up with a recovery plan “to rescue the project” as it was behind schedule.
“Siyenza outlined the challenges experienced during the initiation phase of the programme of which some are still pending, such as the suppliers that are not able to meet the demand of 66700 structures by June,” the council report reads.
Reasons Siyenza gave the council for needing an extension of the deadline include:
lDelays in the supply of material to sites due to negotiations still to be conducted with suppliers;
lDesign problems experienced with one of the suppliers, Concretex, which resulted in toilet structures falling and;
lDelays in verification of beneficiary lists.
The Dispatch can also reveal that R215-million has already been spent out of an expected R631-million final bill.
In March, the Dispatch reported that R114-million had been paid to Siyenza Group in several tranches.
The first payment of R31-million was made in September last year, another in December (R63-million) and a third at the end of January (R19-million). — siphem@dispatch.co.za
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