A joint delegation of Mpumalanga permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) have warned that delays in completing infrastructure projects and shoddy work by contractors could bankrupt the province.
During a visit to the construction site of a water treatment plant in Emakhazeni Local Municipality, as part of the NCOP’s Provincial Week programme, MPL Mr Ngrayi Ngwenya said the province is losing money through project completion delays. This often results in cost escalation and forces the provincial government to allocate additional funding to correct structural defects by shoddy contractors.
“The provincial government is losing a lot of money through cost escalations that come with delays in infrastructure projects. There are also many examples of leaking water reservoirs across the province that cannot be used and require additional funding to be fixed. Government is working backwards; this wastage will bankrupt our province,” warned Mr Ngwenya.
The province is building a reservoir, a waste water treatment plant and a water pump as part of the bulk infrastructure that will be required for the planned multimillion-rand Mpumalanga High Altitude Training Centre in Emakhazeni.
Mr Morake Morolo, the head of department for the provincial Department of Public Works and Transport, told the joint delegation that the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture conceptualised the project and was brought his department for feasibility studies and implementation. “It is going to be world class and would include a sports academy with all the sporting codes, a boarding school, entertainment areas and a hotel. The altitude in the area is one of the best. Feasibility studies show that this is a viable concept and will attract international athletes,” said Mr Morake.
While the reservoir is expected to be completed in March next year, there has been little progress in the construction of the waste water treatment plant, with only R29 million of the total R82 million spent so far.
Responding to members’ concerns about the delays, Mr Morake said not all delays were bad and that good things take time. The bulk infrastructure upgrades and building of new infrastructure for the planned high-performance training centre will also benefit the community of Emakhazeni.
His counterpart from the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, Mr Mxolisi Mahlangu, said the project has been spread over years due to limited budget but every financial year the department allocates funds towards the project.
Meanwhile, the delegation also heard that the existing wastewater treatment plant is not performing to the required standards, which leads the municipality to release untreated effluent into the natural environment. “Environmental non-compliance, such as releasing untreated effluent into our rivers and streams, is criminal. This situation must be urgently addressed,” said NCOP permanent delegate Ms Sonja Boshoff.
Acting delegation leader Mr Patrick Sibande called for better planning and budgeting, as well as improved monitoring and evaluation to avoid unnecessary delays and defects that are costly to the provincial government. Mr Sibande also condemned the late payment of contractors over the stipulated 30-day period.
The delegation also held a public meeting with the community of Emakhazeni Local Municipality, at Sakhele Hall in Dullstroom. Residents raised a variety of service delivery complaints: unemployment, housing, waste collection, electricity, water, land and potholes. There were also allegations of landowners’ ill-treatment of farm dwellers, while some reported that they were denied right to bury their families in the farms where they have lived for years.
Mr Sibande said all the residents’ inputs will be included in a comprehensive report that will be shared with relevant government departments after adoption by the NCOP. However, he urged the community to also play their part by reporting vandalism and theft of public infrastructure.
Sakhile Mokoena
21 November 2025
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