'Why compromised contractors continue to receive tenders in KwaDukuza Municipality?'

Why "compromised contractors" are continuously being awarded new multi-million rand tenders in spite of their shortcomings is the question being raised by some political parties and ratepayers of the KwaDukuza Municipality.

The latest instance where the municipality has been called out for handing a contract regardless of performance was during a KwaDukuza council meeting, last week, which drew choruses of outrage.

The contractor responsible for the now-abandoned Hulett Bridge project worth R32 million was awarded the R29 million contract to construct the Mnyundwini Bridge in May.

Just as in the case of the Hulett project, work on the Mnyundwini Bridge has now also stalled.

The Hulett Bridge is a key conduit for locals to reach schools and municipal services like the library and clinic in the Darnall area, while the Mnyundwini Bridge gives residents from the area of Mallende passage into KwaDukuza's CBD.

The Auditor-General has previously red-flagged the municipality regarding ts inappropriate procurement practices.

The name of the contractor in question is known to the Daily News, and attempts to make contact were unsuccessful. In spite of numerous attempts by the newspaper, Sifiso Zulu, the municipality's spokesperson, failed to provide a response to questions forwarded to him.

At the council meeting, KwaDukuza heads were accused of being negligent and mismanaging municipal resources.

ActionSA councillor Halalisani Ndlovu expressed his dismay at the municipality's decision to engage a contractor already implicated in failing to complete vital infrastructure projects.

“ActionSA has consistently raised the alarm on this matter since 2020, formally requesting investigations from the Municipal Manager and the Internal Audit Unit."

He said that the municipality's procurement practices have paved the way for potential corruption and repeated failures, as it has now become glaringly evident with the stalling of work on the Mnyundwini Bridge.

“While in theory, funds should be recoverable through various internal control mechanisms, these measures are seldom enforced with the necessary urgency or seriousness,”

Ndlovu lamented. With the municipality's track record of consequence management being virtually non-existent, he voiced scepticism regarding any potential recovery of losses from the contractor involved.

“What we often witness is contractors abandoning sites, while the municipality struggles to reclaim public funds.”

In a bid to further escalate such issues, ActionSA reached out to the Auditor-General in 2024, requesting a comprehensive audit of all contracted companies involved in KwaDukuza's road rehabilitation projects.

The Auditor-General confirmed suspicions of conflicts of interest and non-compliance with supply chain laws, revealing discrepancies in documentation associated with numerous contractors known to the publication.

In highlighting the need for immediate action, Ndlovu called for strict enforcement of consequence management against contractors who fail to deliver.

Ndlovu suggested that offending contractors be blacklisted. “This is not merely an administrative oversight; it is a governance failure intertwined with corruption,” he claimed.

Ndlovu's sentiments were echoed by DA councillor Privi Makhan, who called for accountability from the ANC-led administration.

While pointing fingers at the former mayor (Ali Ngidi), Makhan called for a transparent investigation process to gain an explanation on how compromised contractors were repeatedly entrusted with multimillion-rand projects despite demonstrable failures.

“Those failed projects will remain his (Ngidi) legacy,” Makhan said and called on the municipality to honour its obligation to recover money that was misused on projects.

Makhan insisted on stringent measures against contractors who have demonstrated incompetence and insisted that severe recovery processes be implemented immediately.

“Ratepayers should not bear the costs of incompetence and corruption,” she declared, adding that the same companies with a history of failure must be barred from future tenders.

She also emphasised the need for transparent procurement processes and strengthened contract management to facilitate the early termination for contractors who underperformed on contracts.

DAILY NEWS