Another hiccup for asbestos removal project

The Department of Human Settlements (DHS) was accused of ‘putting the cart before the horse’ in its implementation of the asbestos roof removal in Forderville and Colita. Ward 10 Councillor Edith Lite frankly questioned two representatives from the department during a meeting held at the Forderville Hall on December 1.

The aim of the meeting, which was attended by the Ward 10 committee and a few community members, was to seek answers to some of the questions from the community, as well as follow up on the status of the project.

The Colita and Forderville Pre-1994 Rectification Project was approved in 2014 by the department in conjunction with the local municipality, and it was resolved to remove asbestos roofing from 352 houses in Estcourt. 110 homes in Colita and 242 in Forderville were earmarked for asbestos removal.

ALSO READ: Cop killers convicted

The project was fraught with legal challenges and remained dormant until it was revived last year by DHS, who have taken over the project. Since then, a contractor has been appointed, three assessments of the homes have been done, and MEC Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba visited in October this year.

However, work on the ground has not started and questions are turning into skepticism as locals wait for the hazardous asbestos roofs to be removed. At the meeting, the department confirmed that it is in the process of finalising the appointment of the project manager through its Supply Chain Management (SCM) processes and is estimated to be completed by the end of December.

“The contractor for the project has been appointed and once all due processes are completed, the project will commence immediately thereafter,” said department spokesperson Sandile Sibiya.

Usually, a project manager is appointed before the contractor and this drew criticism from Cllr Lite.

“The department must get its house in order; you can’t make a mistake like this. You are putting the horse before the cart. You are showing us a different side – that we can’t trust you. Once the contractor was appointed, we were so excited that the project would kick off, but until now, nothing has been done,” she said.

Questions arose about whether residents who had replaced the asbestos roofing at their own cost, due to health reasons or renovations, would be compensated.

“No. In terms of the Rectification Policy, units that have been modified from their original state are not catered for under this programme,” Sibiya said.

The department also explained the reason for the increase in the cost of the project, which was initially earmarked for R38 million and is now R63 million.

“The increase in price is attributed to inflation, since the original assessment in 2016. The R63 million is a provisional amount for the project, based on current assessments, and therefore the final cost will only be determined on completion of the project,” the department said.

When asked about when Colita and Forderville residents would begin to see their long-awaited dream materialise and work on the project begin, Sibiya said that once the formalities of the appointment of the project manager were complete and the necessary contractual obligations concluded, it was anticipated that work will commence early in the new year.

NOW READ: Who do you phone at uThukela with a water problem?

Click to receive news links via WhatsApp. Or for the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter