Pretoria - Tshwane Mayor Randall Williams has formally asked council for a six-week extension to finalise a forensic investigation into allegations of tender irregularities in the first phase of a R2 billion contract for refurbishing Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant.
Williams was expected to table a report into an alleged Rooiwal tender irregularity during a council sitting on Thursday, but he instead pleaded for more time to complete the probe.
Although the council granted him the extension, he also came under fire for lack of urgency in addressing the problem of dirty water consumed by the Hammanskraal residents and local farmers from Rooiwal.
The plant has been identified as the source of dirty water because of its lack of capacity to purify wastewater, resulting in the sludge being discharged into the Apies River.
Williams commissioned the investigation following concerns raised about the supply chain processes for the Phase 1 tendering and the probe was expected to be completed within 90 days from March 31 this year.
ANC council chief whip Aaron Maluleka cast aspersions on the coalition government led by the DA for not showing urgency in addressing the water problem.
“Are we having delays of the finalisation of this investigation because the supply chain process or the appointments of the company and all the supply chain processes took place under the DA leadership. Is that the problem? Are they trying to conceal information?” Maluleka said.
He said the ANC was unhappy with the snail’s pace of the investigation and warned against using the water issue as a political football.
He said the DA and its partners used the Hammanskraal water as one of the issues to win votes during last year’s municipal elections.
“Therefore, we can’t allow a situation where the Hammanskraal water becomes a political football that it is used to amass votes,” he said.
He suggested that Williams should let go of the project to the national Department of Water and Sanitation to assist with resources and effective management to finalise the project.
Chief of staff Jordan Griffiths had previously dismissed suggestions that Williams was not taking the matter seriously.
ActionSA councillor Nkele Molapo said her party was also unhappy with the delayed forensic investigation.
She demanded to see progress on the investigation and proposed that a report must be submitted by August 23.
The party’s council caucus leader Anniruth Kissoonduth recently accused the contractor of failing “to fulfil its responsibilities” to the Phase 1 of the refurbishment project, which was started early in 2020.
This was after the contractor opted to abandon the project following a contractual fallout with the municipality.
Pretoria News