The public has noticed that construction has stopped on Main Harding Road in Marburg.
According to complainants, it has been weeks since any work has been carried out on this road.
Zibele Construction was awarded the tender to upgrade Harding Road at a cost of R54-million, with the project expected to be completed by the end of January next year.
The upgrade started from the N2 national road to the Umbango bridge into Nelson Mandela Drive. These roads were prioritised for upgrades because of the poor condition and impact on traffic in the Port Shepstone CBD.
It is believed construction stopped due to financial issues and that Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) has not paid the contractor, hence the delay.
The spokesperson for RNM, Simon April said that the municipality is engaging with the contractor, to ensure that he complies with all his contractual obligations.
“We are not aware of a report that says the contractor has stopped working due to financial issues, instead what we are aware of is that the contractor’s employees have stopped going to work due to them not having been paid.”
Also, the newly resurfaced road is uneven and some sections have potholes.
April said that the issue of potholes is highly impossible to speculate on since the work has not been completed.
“The road has not been handed over to the municipality. What is also important is that the work is being monitored by an engineer who will have to issue a certificate of completion once it is done.”
Perfect Mbalo of Zibele Construction said the company is closed for the December holidays and will report back to work on January 3, 2023.
“The municipality had financial issues and have not paid us, but we are still working and will continue to work next year.”
He declined to comment on how long the municipality has not paid them. However, he said that the workers will be paid on December 15.
Mbalo also said some of the Marburg business owners had asked them to stop work early, so that the public is able to make purchases at these stores without being distracted by ongoing construction work.
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