Roadworks on Pretoria Road continue to cause frustration for residents and business owners.
The project was started on January 22 and was set to be completed by June 29.
Ekurhuleni metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe said: “Due to some stoppage caused by the local emerging contractor, the contract duration has been extended to September 7.
“Delays in the road being completed is due to strikes from contractors.”
Gadebe said due to contractors not being able to provide construction materials as promised, it was decided that the main contractor provide their own construction plant and purchase all the required construction materials.
No action or penalties were imposed on the service provider.
A budget of R10.4-million was allocated to Boitshoko Road Surfacing and Civil Works to complete the project.
To date, an amount of approximately R9.7-m has been paid to Boitshoko Road Surfacing and Civil Works.
When speaking to some of the workers, who would like to remain anonymous, they said the material is not always available for them to continue their work.
The workers come to work on a daily basis due to them being told no work no pay if they do not come to work.
“We are overworked and underpaid and even when the contractors are on strike they still get paid but we don’t get paid if we don’t come to work.”
“We are told to go home at any time and told that they will call us to come back to continue working.”
“Some of us use all our money for transport to come here but we are not treated properly.”
Business owners are being affected by the delays in roadworks, they are losing business on a daily basis because customers cannot gain access to these businesses due to there not being any parking space.
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According to Gene Botes, a business owner on Pretoria Road, the contractor supervisors said they were waiting to receive more money to finish the job.
Jerry Cindi, another business owner, said he knows of two businesses who closed down due to them not making enough money to pay their rent.
“There is not enough business coming in for us to keep up with all our expenses because of these roadworks,” he said.
“Not knowing when they will finish is frustrating, we need answers.”
Gadebe said no compensation will be paid to the business owners.
All the businesses are operational and there have never been any blockages leading to their properties.
The entrances leading to the businesses and residential properties are accessible.
According to Gadebe, the purpose of the roadworks is to upgrade Pretoria Road into a dual carriage road.
“The current scope is to construct additional outer lanes from Raeburn to Robinson streets,” he said.
The construction will also cover the upgrade of the parking area at Emergency Centre and Domino’s Pizza along Pretoria Road.
According to the contractor, the strike is over and the workers are currently on site.
The contractor confirmed they will be done by September 7, although they may request an extension due to the delay with the strike.
The contractor could not disclose the cause of the strike although they stated both the workers and the contractors were unhappy with the process of the project.
“We would like to get the job done as quickly as possible,” they said.
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