Gauteng Department of Roads and Lubbe Construction remain tight-lipped on K46 impasse

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport and Lubbe Construction have remained tight-lipped over the shutting down of the K46 site by Diepsloot community members over issues of sub-contract work.

None of the two major partners in the R500-million project shed light over the stalemate to this community newspaper, with the gridlock having the potential to delay the completion of the project which was scheduled to be finished within 22 months.

Lubbe Construction workers were chased from the site by the local business community more than a week ago following accusations of duck and diving with their 40 percent stake of the tender. Business forums in the area vowed to keep the project grounded until they get their share of the cake.

Fourways Review’s week-long efforts to squeeze comments from the department and Lubbe Construction drew blanks.

Mandla Lubbe, owner of the construction company, is also not picking up calls from this newspaper. When his cellphone was eventually picked up, the receiver on the other side said that he was not Mandla, despite the fact that he supplied this paper with his business card bearing the Cell C number.

“I am not Mandla, I am not the person you are looking for. I do not know him and I am not in construction,” said Lubbe.

One of his site managers who was only identified as Kobus or Cobus by our source remained aloof when questions were SMSed to him.

Kobus/Cobus later SMSed back to this paper, supplying two numbers for Reginald Smith, his contracts manager. The landline number he supplied does not seem to be operational while the cellphone number kept on ringing until phone mail was reached.

The Department of Roads and Transport’s communications officers played hide and seek with this paper for two days before eventually releasing a one sentence response which was not even addressing the six questions emailed to Moses Rabothata and Medlinda Madiba.

“The Department of Roads and Transport is in direct contact with the contractor and community representatives. There is commitment from the contractor to procure locally,” reads Rabothata’s one sentence statement.

The department’s spokesperson, Octovia Mamabolo referred this paper to Madiba saying she was on leave. Madiba called this paper on 7 April promising that Sipho Tshabalala would work on the questions. When this paper contacted Tshabalala, he proclaimed ignorance over the story.