Parliament, Sunday, 6 September 2020 – The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, as well as the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, have confirmed that the new 40km Beitbridge border fence is not fit for purpose, and have made a call for urgent consequence management against those implicated in wrongdoing in relation to the construction of the fence.
The committees visited the border for an in-loco inspection and they have confirmed that the construction of the fence was a wasteful expenditure. They said, the fact that a 37-year-old secondary fence that was decommissioned in 1994, was still in a better physical condition, is a clear demonstration of poor quality of the new 5-month old one. The most practical and cost effective way would have been to refurbish the decommissioned fence.
The committees were of the view that the material used for the construction of the fence was substandard. Also, the construction was not in line with the prescribed specifications of the fence construction project.
Regarding 14 implicated officials, the committees were of the firm view that, due process must be followed, which will hopefully culminate in the application of effective consequence management. Furthermore, the committees have called for the state, through the Special Investigative Unit, to initiate a process to recover losses incurred during the construction of the fence.
The prescriptive nature of the directive that was issued by the Minister of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, remains a concern and the committees are waiting for an extensive report that will explain the circumstances and the motivation behind the directive for the construction of the fence.
The committees raised concerns over the contravention of the National Environmental Management Act when the fence was constructed. Also, according to the committees, the fact that there was no site clearance for the construction of the fence, is testament to assortment of transgressions in the construction of the fence project.
The committees have committed to focus closely on the project to ensure that effective consequence management takes place, and that the state recovers what was lost in the project back into the fiscus.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, MS NOLITHA NTOBONGWANA, THE CHAIRPERSON OF SCOPA, MR MKHULEKO HLENGWA, AND THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR MOSA CHABANE.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malatswa Molepo (Mr)
Parliamentary Communication Services
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E-mail: mmolepo@parliament.gov.za
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