Botched infrastructure projects leave communities stranded

Public infrastructure projects meant to improve lives have, instead, left many communities unhappy, with newly built roads crumbling, and houses and community centres left incomplete with no windows, water or electricity.

For years, residents of Lefiso and Ga-Maria villages in Mpumalanga longed and fought for their main gravel road to be tarred.

But the alleged R10 million spent on 1.2km of the road construction project has left the rural communities with waterlogged excavations, heaps of rubble and some parts of the tarred road submerged in rain water.

According to resident Joe Phalla, the road completed in August this year cut the residents off from the outside world for days due to flooding.

“The road was simply built through a seasonal stream, which means it will be underwater for the duration of the rainy season. This despite R2.5 million we are told was paid to consulting engineers by the [Dr JS Moroka municipality],” he said.

According to Phalla, the target road to be constructed was about 6km long but the municipality only constructed 1.2km.

He said the road was key to the villages’ access to other areas as it connected the area to a taxi rank, a high school, clinic and filling station, as well as the bus stop.

“We are unhappy because now we are in a worse position than before. Now, the municipality has dug trenches on the side of the road to channel water,” said local chief Tabego Mmutle.

The municipality, which has been placed under administration, has been embroiled in infighting that has brought service delivery to a standstill and led to the resignation of mayor Thulare Madileng, who has been fingered in alleged abuse of public funds and resources in an explosive forensic report.

Jack Malatjie, Economic Freedom Fighters councillor in the municipality, said a housing project as well as a multipurpose centre in Senotlelo completed three years ago have no electricity and the houses have no windows.

“There was supposed to be a borehole in the centre but it was not installed…now it is being vandalised. In nearby Loding, a community housing project was blown off by a storm,” he said.

The newly appointed mayor, Rhoda Mathabe, could not be reached for comment.

Government has noted the poor execution of infrastructure projects at all spheres of government, said department of public works and infrastructure spokesperson Bukiwe Mgobhozi.

She said this was the reason the department has established Infrastructure South Africa (ISA), which would be responsible for looking into the delivery and management of community infrastructure projects.

“Previously, the mandate of maintenance of infrastructure standards fell within municipalities and provinces. Currently the Presidency and (the department) are busy setting up ISA… Recruitment is currently under way to capacitate ISA to start with the work,” Mgobhozi said.

In 2006, the Moretele local municipality in the North West spent R12 million on 112 mast lights in eight villages but the contractor allegedly dug up and vanished with the money; it spent R1 million on a community hall design that was never built; and a R2.7 million sports facility completed in 2007 has become a white elephant.

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