KZN Public Works has made history by obtaining its first-ever clean audit.

At the helm of the department is former Newcastle municipal manager, Dr Vish Govender, who describes the accomplishment as the biggest success of his career in public service and a massive honour… But it wasn’t easy.

Navigating bankruptcy is arduous, and turning around a negative organisational culture is just as tough. Govender had to do both to salvage Public Works.

He describes 16-hour workdays and months of grunt work.

“You have to roll up your sleeves to the elbows and just get to it,” says Govender. “It’s not something that could have been done by sitting all day in an office. You have to be on the ground.

“A clean audit is no small achievement, especially for a department that is dealing with R22.5 billion in assets, in 11 districts, sub-districts and four regions, spanning all the way from Manguzi in the north to Port Edward in the south. We service about 11 million residents!” he explains.

When Govender took over Public Works as the acting head of department (HOD) two years ago, it was financially bankrupt, with debt that had accumulated to just below R1 billion.

Adding to the burden was an organisational culture that had ‘hit rock bottom’, according to Govender.

“When I got there, things were at breaking point and I needed to fix it. We had staff who didn’t respect policies, legislation and statute at all, and the department was riddled with allegations of fraud, corruption and maladministration,” he concedes.

“Everything was just a free-for-all. Everyone just did what they wanted to do.

“The first thing I decided to do was to tackle the finances, similar to what I did as the municipal manager in Newcastle. Once I had secured the finances, I then went to the organisational culture and got rid of all staff who were taking chances and didn’t want to do what they were supposed to do,” he continued.

“Once I got that done, I then looked at the regulatory framework, which is the audit framework and the risk framework, and then I started to identify all the key risks, like the construction mafia, issues around supply chain and procurement, issues around integrity, projects, and infrastructure management.

“I worked closely with my team to put systems in place to manage these risks. We had solid executive authority in MEC Martin Meyer, who brought in policy direction – and Bob’s your uncle!

“Everyone thought that it was impossible for Public Works to obtain a clean audit. No one believed that we could do it… And we did it!”

Credit to Newcastle for learning opportunities that shaped Public Works policies

Govender gives credit to the Newcastle people and the municipality for providing him with a platform where he was able to study good governance using real-life examples.

His practical experience and problem solving in the Newcastle Local Municipality formed the basis of his thesis with which Govender obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy in Public Management and Governance.

“When I took over Newcastle as municipal manager, I encountered similar issues to those at Public Works. I decided to focus on the municipality’s core mandate, which was service delivery. I set up a task team, similar to the one I set up in Public Works, where we looked at the finances to see where we were losing money and came up with ideas to ensure better collection rates.

“The idea was to ensure that we come to the fore in terms of real-time service delivery for ratepayers,” said Govender.

Govender says the one thing that was non-negotiable during his time as municipal manager was discipline. “If you came in late, I locked the door,” he recalls.

“Newcastle is one of the secondary cities of KZN. My career in public service began as a general worker at the Newcastle Municipality many years ago. It is a place that will always be in my heart because my time there shaped me tremendously.”

Govender, who is still a resident of Newcastle, is at pains to see what has become of the town, saying there are ‘serious municipal issues right outside his house’, which are yet to be resolved.

From 89 stalled projects to just 5 in less than 2 years

When Govender took over Public Works, the department had 89 stalled projects valued at just over R1 billion.

A rapid response team was set up to focus specifically on unlocking these projects and ensuring that they translate into tangible service delivery.

“As I speak now, we only have five of these projects left to complete,” says Govender.

“We are focusing on three thing, ie to complete our projects within budget, on time and sustainably. We want quality infrastructure for the people of KZN. We are showing people that with a good executive authority and a good head of department, it is possible.”

One of the stalled projects, accelerated by Govender and his team, was the upgrade to the Newcastle Hospital (Mother and Child Facility), which was stalled for a number of years due to contractors being unable to meet their obligations.

“With this project, as with the other 89 stalled projects, we held meetings every Monday to account for what had to be done and to quickly resolve any issues that arose. Stalled projects translate into poor management, which translates into terrible service delivery,” said Govender. “We are proud to say that we have now finished the Newcastle Hospital.”

Another of the stalled projects Govender encountered is the upgrade to Greys Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, which is still underway 11 years after it was supposed to have been completed.

“We have unlocked that project to the point where we are now at the construction stage. The theatres are being moved to another space and we are currently revamping the entire HVAC system,” reports

Govender, who describes the progress being made as a ‘huge achievement’ for Public Works.

One capital project, a R22-million complex to be constructed in Ulundi, was rolled over to the 2026/2027 financial year.

“We only received grant funding for that project late December, and our financial year ends in March. By the time we went out on bidding in January, we were unable to spend the money within the 2025/2026 financial year, so we submitted an application to roll it over to the next financial year,” explains Govender.

62 capital projects completed in the 2025/2026 financial year

According to Govender, 62 capital infrastructure projects were completed during the 2025/2026 financial year, comprising 28 projects for the Department of Education, 18 Health projects, and 16 projects for other clients like Transport and Community Safety.

“All the projects were delivered within budget,” boasts Govender.

Govender added that Public Works is now also in a position to comply with the 30-day payment rule for contractors, after his team successfully made strides in turning around the financial situation of the department.

“One of the biggest thorns in any government’s side is the payment of contractors within 30 days. We are doing it and religiously so,” assured Govender.

As far as deviant contractors are concerned, Govender said Public Works is ‘following the rule of law’.

Contractors who do not perform are restricted and terminated.

“It’s non-negotiable,” says Govender. “If you don’t do your work, I’ll send you home. We use the General Conditions of Contract (GCC) or the Joint Building Conditions of Contract (JBCC) and we follow the contract to a T.

“We made it clear to non-performing contractors that they need to either shape up or ship off. We have terminated five or six contractors so far, and put others on penalties to give them an opportunity to reform. I can now say that we have a good bunch of contractors who are working with us at Public Works.”

Another ‘non-negotiable’ Public Works demand is that a certain percentage of each and every infrastructure project must be allocated to local labour.

“This is why KZN Public Works runs the best EPWP (Extended Public Works Programme). We report monthly on the number of jobs we have created in local communities. Meyer insists that projects must benefit the local labour force and we’ve lived up to that,” says Govender.

Public Works has further listed 101 permanent vacancies in the department and has started the interviewing process (last week).

Another feather in Govender’s cap is the fact that Public Works recently received an award for being the most innovative department in KZN, having used modern technology to update and monitor the assets register of state-owned buildings in real time.

Subsequently, three Public Works-owned buildings that were found to be ‘abandoned and hijacked by squatters’ were donated to Ethekwini Municipality for housing purposes.

Despite all that Public Works has accomplished, Govender concedes that maintenance of state-owned buildings is still a massive challenge.

“However, you must realise that Public Works is a creature of instruction. We are the custodians of the buildings, but we are not the ones who drive the budget formation. The maintenance budget is left to the department that occupies the building; and the province, as a whole, is struggling with the maintenance of assets,” he explained.

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