Limpopo road at the centre of R22 million contract controversy washed away

A Limpopo road that was the centre of controversy in a claim that a R22.6 million contract was paid in full to ill-equipped contractors for a job that was never really completed, has washed away in the recent heavy rains.

According to reports, shoddy workmanship resulted in parts of the roadway cracking and falling away along the 3.8km stretch of road between Mashemong and Mooihoek.

A councillor and leader of the Bolsheviks Party of South Africa (BPSA), Seun Motshele Mogotji, in the area said that roads were also built without proper stormwater drainage in place.

Municipality paid up the contract

The Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality in Limpopo came under heavy criticism after it paid up the contract when the construction process was only 60% complete by Loge Construction who won the tender to construct the road in August 2019. It also paid the company an R116 678 extra at its request.

It was reported that the project had reached only practical completion in June 2021 with progress on site at 93 percent.

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It was also reported that the contract was later terminated in December 2021, after the company complained about cash flow problems.

The company also failed to pay sub-contractors despite the fact that payment was made in full by the former infrastructure services director, Thakgatso Mashile. Currently, the company owes its subcontractors R415,000.

After reviewing the allegations levelled against Mashile, the council then decided to suspend him on a cautionary basis while the matter was being probed.

We told them all along – BPSA

Meanwhile, Mogotji posted on his Facebook page that the latest developments with the road being washed away were rather telling of what they had been trying to bring to the fore and warn the public about all along.

“Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality officials are running around like headless chickens trying to hide the mess of the R22 million Mašemong Road. We are watching very closely. If they had nothing to hide why was the director of infrastructure running around instructing service providers to clean up before the COGTA inspection team visit this Friday? We also know the Auditor General was there with engineers. We are watching closely as the drama unfolds,” he wrote.

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