Ray Nkonyeni Municipality is in the process of hiring a new contractor to complete the rehabilitation of Main Harding Road, said acting municipal manager Khetha Zulu at a council meeting on Tuesday this week.
Zibele Construction was awarded a R54 million tender in 2022 to upgrade the road. However, the company has written a letter to council requesting to subcontract a portion of the works to a reputable service provider.
Councillors raised that the contractor has failed and that the project is past the expected completion deadline.
Main Harding Road was expected to be completed in January 2023, but it is nowhere close to completion in spite of the project duration being extended for a further two months until the end of April.
Zulu said the completion date is uncertain until they finish all processes with the new contractor.
Councillors also asked about the cost to pay a new contractor.
A councillor said that it is believed that Zibele Construction has so far claimed R8 million from the project.
The public, taxi industry and business owners have complained on a number of occasions about the state of the road.
Concerns have also been raised that the newly resurfaced road is uneven and some sections have potholes.
Councillors have requested a full project report, as well as costs and an estimated completion date.
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