It looks like nothing more than a desolate piece of open veld yet R9 million has already been spent on the abandoned Sarafina stadium construction in Ikageng.
The DA caucus leader, Hans-Jurie Moolman, made these startling revelations after he initiated a probe to establish how much was budgeted for the project, how much was spent and whether the budget was exceeded during the construction. This after community members expressed their disgust and shock.
NW405 says it initially budgeted about R18 million for the project. Moolman says he is deeply concerned. Judging by the appearance of this construction site, the council should not have spent more than R2 million.
The chief communications officer of NW 405 municipality, Jeanette Tshite, says nothing more than the approved budget had been spent. According to her, the contractor abandoned the site on 11 October, this year, claiming intimidation from community members.
The notice was issued on October 20, 2016, and the municipality has issued a notice to terminate the contract in accordance with the General Conditions of Contract of 2010, 2nd Edition. The termination can only be effected after 14 days of the notice being issued,’ she said.
According to her, the amount budgeted for the stadium project was divided into two categories – the contract amount and the professional fees of consultants. An amount of R17 800 000 (vat included) was budgeted for construction and R837 438. 66 was allocated for the professional fees (vat also included).
When shedding light on the money spent so far, she says the construction costs totalled R8 827 332. 84 and R1 678 626.17 has been spent on professional fees to date.
Moolman cautioned the municipal manager of the fledgling municipality not to approve any further payments until she is in a position to assess the project in the light of the questions he has raised.
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