BOIPATONG – ActionSA is turning up the heat, taking the fight to the Public Protector after accusing the Emfuleni Local Municipality, the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development, and the Department of Social Development of gross maladministration and abuse of public funds.
The project, launched back in 2015, was meant to deliver a state-of-the-art old age care facility: 44 en-suite rooms, a dining hall, a sick bay, and communal spaces.
But ten years later, there’s nothing to show for the R28m already pumped into it. The political party that recently opened a case at the Boipatong Police Station confirmed that it has formally submitted a complaint of maladministration and abuse of public resources.
Despite a total budget of R44.3m and over R28m having been spent, the facility remains incomplete, vandalised, and without any services delivered to date. In a statement, ActionSA Gauteng Provincial caucus leader Funzi Ngobeni said only 52% of the work was completed.
“R25m was paid to the main contractors – JM Mcwango Trading and Makgotamishe Building Construction – and over R3m was paid to professional service providers.”
“To date, no recovery efforts or consequence management actions have been undertaken by the responsible departments,” he said.
Ngobeni said ActionSA has called on the Public Protector to investigate:
- Whether the procurement, management, and oversight of the project were conducted in accordance with legal and ethical standards
- Why no disciplinary or legal action has been taken against the officials or contractors involved ·
- Whether the Departments of Social Development and Infrastructure Development acted in breach of their public service obligations ·
What remedies may be proposed to ensure accountability and completion of the project “This situation reflects a gross failure to use the public purse responsibly.
It raises serious concerns of maladministration, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, and the potential violation of the constitutional rights of vulnerable elderly citizens. ActionSA stands firm in our mission to uphold clean governance and protect public resources,” he said.
