R82 Million Incomplete Bhambanana Abattoir a Cash Cow for Incompetent Contractors

Nov 10, 2023 | Press Releases

The IFP, as the Official Opposition in the KZN Legislature, says the incomplete Bhambana Abattoir is just a cash cow for incompetent contractors.

The construction of Bhambanana Abattoir was initiated by the Department of Public Works in 2012 and in 2016 it was considered complete, with expenditure of R82 867 090.52 million.

Surprisingly, now it has been discovered that the Bhambanana Abattoir is not complete and it is not clear when it will be completed.

Now the KZN Department of Agriculture must allegedly spend another R8,133,428.51 million towards addressing engineering snags. This was the response from the MEC for Agriculture, Super Zuma, to a Parliamentary Question submitted by IFP MPL, Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa.

What is even more concerning, is that the KZN Department of Public Works and the KZN Department of Agriculture are contradicting one another on the issue of Bhambanana Abattoir.

According to the responses from the KZN MEC for Public Works, Sipho Nkosi, when responding to a Parliamentary Question submitted by the same IFP MPL in June – on the same matter – he stated that the construction of Bhambanana Abattoir was completed, as the construction started in 08 April 2014.

The budget was R63,683, 649.28 and the KZN Department of Agriculture is spending R55 492 per month for four security guards who are providing 24-hour security on site in Bhambanana Abattoir to prevent theft and vandalism. This proves that the one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing.

We believe that MEC Nkosi must be held accountable for lying about Bhambanana Abattoir, saying that it has been completed. When he was sworn in, he promised that he would be faithful and trustworthy, but this is not the case.

It is shocking that almost 12 years later the Bhambanana Abattoir is still incomplete yet public funds have been paid to incompetent contractors.
This is similar to what is happening in the KZN Department of Transport.

The Department of Transport is known for starting projects and failing to complete them. Nothing has been said about road projects implemented by the Department of Transport in Ubuhlebezwe Local Municipality, under Harry Gwala District, which have been characterised by challenges and slow progress.
This includes P73, P112, and P113, which have been under construction for some years but are not yet complete. Construction of road P73 in the Hlokozi area started in 2010, but only 7.7 kilometres have been completed to date, instead of 22.7 kilometres. Road P112, known as Nomakhele, which is 14 kilometres long, was budgeted at R10.724 million, but now the budget has skyrocketed to R202.38 million. The project’s planned duration was six years. No one has been held accountable, not even contractors.

The IFP has, in the past, raised its concerns about government departments who appoint incompetent contractors that provide poor workmanship. Serious questions must be asked: how were these incompetent contractors awarded tenders to build roads? Where are the checks and balances? Is there collusion between these companies and departmental officials?

All these questions must be answered by the MECs. Heads must roll. The IFP demands that a thorough investigation be conducted. This is yet another example of wasteful expenditure of public funds, as substandard projects continue to cost the state billions of Rands that are unaccounted for.

Contact
Mrs Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa MPL
IFP Chief Whip in the KZN Legislature
071 884 3844 / 079 114 3015

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