Community members from Glenmore near Peddie have welcomed the steps taken by Ngqushwa Municipality to rectify the inaccessible Glenmore sports facility, two years after it was “completed”.
This follows after the municipality issued a tender notice for contractors to bid for the refurbishment of the R3-million sports facility on the weekend’s edition of the Daily Dispatch.
The sports facility has been inaccessible since late 2015 when it was due for renovations that were scheduled to conclude in August 2016.
Member of the community, Lindelwa Tyatya, said the community welcomed the municipality’s involvement and are “looking forward to working with them, thoroughly”.
“We hope this time things will go according to plan. The municipality has promised to work closely with the community this time around and we are happy of this gesture,” said Tyatya.
Ngqushwa municipality portfolio Head of Infrastructure development, Libele Kolisi, told DispatchLIVE that R1-million has been set aside from the municipality’s coffers for the rectification process of the sports facility.
“The process is currently out on tender. The municipality will be using their own money for this process and we will have briefing sessions before the end of this month,” said Kolisi.
Kolisi briefed the community members of the Tyhefu region which consists of villages near Glenmore on the plans for the stadium on Monday.
“We want to be working closer with the community this time around. We will inform them of any developments and opportunities that may arise,” he said.
Kolisi said the tender specifications are the same as the previous one that was awarded to previous contractor responsible for the upgrade and rehabilitation of the facility, Mgunculu Trading, which is owned by ANC Amathole region treasurer Onke Mgunculu.
Both the municipality and Mgunculu received backlash from the communities when the community went to use the newly upgraded facility only to realise it fell way below their expectations and that of the tender requirements.
Mgunculu remains adamant that he did a good job, through the requirements of the requirements of the municipality.
This led to an anti-corruption protest back in May by over 200 community members who marched to the municipal offices and submitted a petition to council speaker Nombuyiselo Magingxa demanding intervention and action over their claim that funds were misused for the upgrade of the sports facility.
Nqushwa Mayor, Mnikelo Siwisa, then responded to the petition by pledging to intervene in the matter with also the municipal council resolving that a forensic investigation be conducted to determine any failures that may have resulted during the sports facility’s upgrade conducted by Mgunculu Trading.
Kolisi said the matter is still under investigation.
Civil society organisation, Afesis-corplan, was responsible for carrying out an independent quality assessment report on the sports facility that revealed that despite having recently undergone a R3-million upgrade, the real value of the work done was only R1.6-million.
The organisation commended the municipality for the tender advertisements in a press statement issued by its executive director Nontando Ngamlana.
“We hope that the municipality will follow due processes in appointing a credible, well-capacitated entity that would incorporate the will and views of the people of Glenmore in refurbishing that sports field.
“We are also pleased that the people of Glenmore are better positioned to participate in this refurbishment process now as they are aware of their rights, responsibilities and obligation as both partners with Ngqushwa Municipality in the development of Glenmore, and as beneficiaries and custodians of that sports field,” said Ngamlana.
The closing date for the tender is October 5 this year.
Community thumbs up for moves on sports facility
Image: Mandilakhe Kwababana
Community members from Glenmore near Peddie have welcomed the steps taken by Ngqushwa Municipality to rectify the inaccessible Glenmore sports facility, two years after it was “completed”.
This follows after the municipality issued a tender notice for contractors to bid for the refurbishment of the R3-million sports facility on the weekend’s edition of the Daily Dispatch.
The sports facility has been inaccessible since late 2015 when it was due for renovations that were scheduled to conclude in August 2016.
Member of the community, Lindelwa Tyatya, said the community welcomed the municipality’s involvement and are “looking forward to working with them, thoroughly”.
“We hope this time things will go according to plan. The municipality has promised to work closely with the community this time around and we are happy of this gesture,” said Tyatya.
Ngqushwa municipality portfolio Head of Infrastructure development, Libele Kolisi, told DispatchLIVE that R1-million has been set aside from the municipality’s coffers for the rectification process of the sports facility.
“The process is currently out on tender. The municipality will be using their own money for this process and we will have briefing sessions before the end of this month,” said Kolisi.
Kolisi briefed the community members of the Tyhefu region which consists of villages near Glenmore on the plans for the stadium on Monday.
“We want to be working closer with the community this time around. We will inform them of any developments and opportunities that may arise,” he said.
Kolisi said the tender specifications are the same as the previous one that was awarded to previous contractor responsible for the upgrade and rehabilitation of the facility, Mgunculu Trading, which is owned by ANC Amathole region treasurer Onke Mgunculu.
Both the municipality and Mgunculu received backlash from the communities when the community went to use the newly upgraded facility only to realise it fell way below their expectations and that of the tender requirements.
Mgunculu remains adamant that he did a good job, through the requirements of the requirements of the municipality.
This led to an anti-corruption protest back in May by over 200 community members who marched to the municipal offices and submitted a petition to council speaker Nombuyiselo Magingxa demanding intervention and action over their claim that funds were misused for the upgrade of the sports facility.
Nqushwa Mayor, Mnikelo Siwisa, then responded to the petition by pledging to intervene in the matter with also the municipal council resolving that a forensic investigation be conducted to determine any failures that may have resulted during the sports facility’s upgrade conducted by Mgunculu Trading.
Kolisi said the matter is still under investigation.
Civil society organisation, Afesis-corplan, was responsible for carrying out an independent quality assessment report on the sports facility that revealed that despite having recently undergone a R3-million upgrade, the real value of the work done was only R1.6-million.
The organisation commended the municipality for the tender advertisements in a press statement issued by its executive director Nontando Ngamlana.
“We hope that the municipality will follow due processes in appointing a credible, well-capacitated entity that would incorporate the will and views of the people of Glenmore in refurbishing that sports field.
“We are also pleased that the people of Glenmore are better positioned to participate in this refurbishment process now as they are aware of their rights, responsibilities and obligation as both partners with Ngqushwa Municipality in the development of Glenmore, and as beneficiaries and custodians of that sports field,” said Ngamlana.
The closing date for the tender is October 5 this year.
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