Construction work on the unfinished Albertina Sisulu Fire Station on Highveld Road should commence by the end of October.
According to City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Themba Gadebe, a new contractor had been appointed and the site will be handed over to him on October 21.
According to the appointment letter, the contractor is expected to complete the project before June 30 next year, two years after it was supposed to be finished.
Gadebe said the contractor indicated he would be able to complete the project at a cost of just over R17-million, excluding VAT, escalation and contingency costs.
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The previous project manager had resigned amid disciplinary processes against him.
Gabede earlier said according to an investigation conducted by external forensic auditors, who were appointed by the City, there was irregular expenditure of more than R19-m, which was spent on items that were not part of the initial bill of quantities, without obtaining the necessary authority.
Gadebe said: “An employee has the right to terminate his services during the course of a disciplinary hearing in terms of the disciplinary code. What is critical, is the fact that when the employee resigns, he must comply with the provisions of the relevant clause.
“The corporate and legal services department has embarked on a process to institute litigation against all the major role players on the project, including the contractor. The internal audit department was also requested to lay charges at the police in this regard,” said Gadebe.
As far as vehicles for the new fire station is concerned, Gadebe said the City of Ekurhuleni annually procured specialised firefighting vehicles in terms of the department’s replacement programme. However, there was no budget made available in both the 2018/19 and 2019/20 financial years.
The Albertina Sisulu Fire Station will be provided with the required equipment once the fire station is completed. The department has made provision in the current financial year to procure the required specialised firefighting vehicles and specialised equipment which are planned to be delivered before the end of June next year.
