A report on underperforming municipal contractors drew bipartisan criticism in council last week.

Contractors breached the terms of their tenders in 20 ongoing projects, with 11 failing to respond to a breach notice and projects stalling as a result.

Four wards have been affected. Ward 29 has been hardest hit with 10 delayed road and stormwater upgrades, while Ward 9 is waiting on one stormwater upgrade. Ward 2 residents await the repair of the flood-damaged Hulett Bridge and Ward 24’s community hall refurbishment is outstanding.

Of the remaining nine contract breaches, seven contractors are back on site, while one project has since been completed and the last has been referred to the KwaDukuza municipality legal department.

Councillors raised concerns about the service delivery impacts in their wards and the perceived lack of penalties for underperforming contractors.

“How can we continue awarding tenders to companies that fail to meet deadlines?” said African National Congress Ward 16 councillor, Sanele Mthiyane.

“There are companies that have been awarded contracts but have not completed their previous projects. We run the risk of losing grants if these projects aren’t finished,” he said.

KwaDukuza chief whip Humphrey Mbatha also questioned the oversight on projects and why consultants were not included in poor performance reports despite also failing in their roles.

Democratic Alliance PR councillor Nerish Singh said the civil engineering department’s capital expenditure of 38% was a service delivery red flag.

“While contractors plunder municipal resources, it is the residents of KwaDukuza who suffer the consequences of failed projects, incomplete infrastructure and a municipality unable to meet its obligations,” said Singh.

“There are no effective internal measures from the municipal manager and the executive director of civil engineering to hold these companies accountable.”

Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.

Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here, or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.