Port tower issue back under control

CONTRACT issues have turned what should have been a simple 12-month upgrade project at Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA’s) Port Control Tower into a costly five-year saga.

And the cost of the project, which will include an additional storyy at the Alkantstrand lookout site, has escalated in that time from R26-million to around R31-million.

Having awarded the tender as far back as 2014, one of the engineering contracts was terminated in September 2015 when flaws in the work were detected by TNPA officials.

After redesigned drawings were acquired and following negotiations with the same contractor, a new contract quotation was rejected owing to high escalated cost.

TNPA ended up cancelling the construction contract, which resulted in TNPA being interdicted by the construction contractor. However, the High Court ruling was in favour of TNPA.

A second contractor should be awarded the project in November. Work is expected to commence in February next year after capital expenditure approval by TNPA later this year.

April 2019 is now the projected completion date.

These delays have caused additional problems, such as the need to ‘temporarily’ relocate port control staff and the additional cost of sustaining people and equipment off site, which was not foreseen at the planning stage of the project.

The other relates to tourism, with the lookout point over the harbour and ocean – Richards Bay’s most popular viewing platform – unavailable for five years.

Port officials indicated that they would investigate the possibility of providing access without placing the public in danger while construction is in progress.

ALSO READ: Port Control upgrade falls further behind schedule

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