Residents of Eendracht in Leandra blocked off the gates to a sewer project contractor with burning tyres on Wednesday, July 6.
Residents said they are tired of watching the contractor doing poor work.
They claim that their ward councillor did not hold a meeting to introduce the contractor or to give them a chance to raise their views and expectations.
The contractor was appointed by the Govan Mbeki Municipality last year to stop the use of septic tanks that the municipality regularly has to drain.
Nhlakanipho Zuma, the executive mayor, said during the sod-turning ceremony held in the area on Thursday, October 7 the Govan Mbeki Municipality planned to spend about R26 million on the sewerage project at Eendracht.
He said they wanted the contractor to complete the project between June and December next year.
Zuma also said the project will open job opportunities for residents from Eendracht and Lebohang.
The mayor warned the contractor not to compromise quality by taking shortcuts.
He also said the municipality does not want to run after the contractor because of poor work that was done or incomplete work.
Donald Green, acting manager of communication, said this week they are monitoring the project progress through their Project Management Unit (PMU) and the engineers.
He said the project is behind the stipulated programme and is being monitored fortnightly.
“The municipality is making sure through the relevant department that the work is done according to all specifications for materials, construction, occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmentally.
“The open trenches pose a problem and should not be tolerated, the contractor should excavate, lay pipes and backfill, however, the weather and community unrest contributed to the situation of open trenches.”
Green said Eendracht’s sewer reticulation network was designed by a professional engineer based on Red Book Guidelines and the sewer pipes’ diameter is large enough as the minimum size is 100mm.
Green also said the design for the project is 160mm minimum which is adequate for the project.
