The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure today to brief the committee on progress with erection of a 25kilometre Kosi border fence in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), which separates South Africa from Mozambique.
KZN’s uMkhanyakude District communities have previously raised concerns about the cross-border criminal syndicates who use their area as a gateway for human trafficking and stolen goods from South Africa to Mozambique. They say this is a problem arising from the lack of a border fence and called for a proper fence to be erected to protect these communities from illegal activities.
Given the urgency of the matter and its socio-economic impact on the province, the KwaZulu -Natal Department of Transport took the initiative and allocated R50 million to erect the border barrier. However, this decision did not please the committee, which was of the view that such a step is a national competency falling squarely within the ambit of the national department. The committee then resolved in 2020 to conduct oversight on this project and heard the uMkhayakude District residents’ pleas for the fence to be erected to protect their lives and livelihood from cross-border criminals.
After the oversight process was completed, the committee provided a report on it to the national department. The committee also had a series of questions for the department that concerned why it had given its national mandate to a provincial department and why, in light of this, it has not yet paid over the R50 million it allocated to the project to the province. The committee also had questions about why the project, which began in 2018, is still not complete and wanted to know what the department has done to address the committee’s recommendations on the matter.
In his presentation, the department’s head of Construction Management, Mr Wasnaar Hlabangwane, reported that a committee and a strategy have been established to improve the integrity of the management of this construction project and bring it to finality. In addition, the project remains incomplete due to various irregularities in how it was conducted, but the department is in the process of rectifying that. Some of these irregularities include, among others, the lack of a sound environmental assessment about where the border fence should be, which has damaged of the biodiversity in the area, Mr Hlabangwane told the committee.
In addition, he said, the department has since learnt that the cost of the project has escalated to R92 million. In any event, the department has not paid over the initial R50 million because it will only do so when it is satisfied with the accuracy of costing, auditing, contractor fees, procurement and other related matters.
To rectify these issues, Mr Hlabangwane said, the department has established a multi-disciplinary task team to resolve the outstanding matters. He was pleased to announce that a memorandum of understanding and of association have been signed between the KZN Department of Transport and the national department to resolve these lingering matters.
Ms Nolitha Ntobongwana, the Chairperson of the portfolio committee, was not entirely satisfied with this answer in light of the fact that the border fence remains a dream for the residents of northern KZN. “We can’t blame the previous minister for this delay because the very same personnel that were involved in this project when it was initiated are still in the department.” And, she added, “It’s worrisome that the KZN Department of Transport has not been paid the R50 million it utilised to construct the borderline fence.”
Committee member Mr Sello Seitlholo also asked again why the national department was not a custodian of this project, as this is a competency that falls within its mandate. Mr Hlabangwane admitted this is a shortcoming on their part. They should have been proactive in this regard and owned the project from the onset. He promised the department will avoid this from happening in future.
And what would happen if this project were not to be completed in November as promised by the department, asked another committee member, Ms Lindy Mjobo. In reply, Mr Hlabangwane promised to keep the committee up to date on progress regularly. If the contractor does not meet the timeframe, it will incur financial penalties, he pointed out, and the contract will be terminated in the event that there is no prospect for successful completion.
The acting Deputy Director-General in the Property and Construction Industry Policy and Research department, Mr Molatelo Mohwasa, further reiterated that they are currently on site to observe what is happening. In addition, important stakeholders such as the Border Management Agency, the KZN Department of Transport and the Office of the KZN Premier have been brought together to reflect on the issues raised by the committee during its oversight on the project.
Ms Ntobongwana welcomed the signs of progress and said she hoped it will be completed on time without further delays. She also welcomed the news of the memorandums of understanding and association and that the KZN Department of Transport will, in the end, be paid the R50 million it has invested in this project. “We are holding the department to account for its commitment, because we care about the plight of our people,” she concluded.
Abel Mputing
6 March 2024
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