No work happening at R26m Eendracht sewer project
Municipality is silent about rumours that the contract was terminated.
The Eendracht community wants to know where is the contractor that was supposed to develop a sewer network in the area.
They were initially overjoyed when the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) executive mayor announced in 2021 the building of a sewer network worth R26m.
This project which would have supplied job opportunities to locals, was expected to be completed in 2022, but the contractor has since disappeared, and work is incomplete. Residents are suffering with septic tanks which the municipality must drain regularly.
At the time of the big announcement and the sod turning, mayor Nhlakanipho Zuma said these septic tanks are an expensive problem, especially during the summer rains when the municipality must send extra trucks to drain them.
He also said septic tanks undermine human dignity, and the GMM’s goal was to provide everyone with water-borne toilets.
Zuma also warned the contractor not to compromise quality by taking shortcuts. He said the municipality does not want to run after the contractor because of poor or incomplete work.
However, work has now stopped and the gates to the site are locked.
“We were left with incomplete work and dangerous trenches next to our yards without any explanation since last year,” explained a resident.
“This means we will continue to suffer without a proper sewer network. We must continue to use collapsing septic tanks that are often not drained on time.”
He said residents were sceptical from the start.
“We suspected the money would disappear before the completion of the project.”
This concerned resident said they had informed no one why the work stopped.
“We want to know what will happen to the material left on the site, bought with public funds, such as the pipes and the concrete to build manholes.”
The DA issued a statement following the party’s oversight visit to the project. They have discovered that not a single pump station has been installed.
Instead, only trenches have been dug on different streets. Currently, residents of Eendracht are subjected to hazardous deep trenches and uneven surfaces on the roads. The DA claims the workmanship on the project was of poor quality.
“The municipality did not receive value for its money, and residents are still without a functional drainage system.
“This shows the contractor failed to carry out their duties effectively, despite being paid millions,” said Portia Mpatlanyane the DA councillor.
Last year, disgruntled residents of Eendracht blocked off the gates to the sewer project contractor’s site with burning tyres. They were fed up with the contractor’s shoddy work.
At the time, the spokesman for the municipality, Donald Green, acting manager of communication, said they were making sure through the relevant department the work was done according to all specifications for materials, construction, occupational health and safety (OHS) and the environment.
Rumours now abound that the contract was terminated due to poor performance. No comment from the municipality was available at the time of going to press.
