Parliament, Thursday, 19 September 2024 – The North West’s permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) have called for the North West Department of Human Settlements to ensure effective consequence management against officials that have contributed to the delay and stoppage of housing projects in Tshunyane Village.
The delegation visited various infrastructure projects yesterday as part of the NCOP flagship Provincial Week programme. “It is unacceptable that the project had stalled since 2011, and families were left with unfinished houses. In Tshunyane village, we visited a single parent family of seven that had to use corrugated iron sheets as windows and substandard roofing because of the delays in the project. Our people cannot be subjected to such substandard living conditions,” said Ms Sylvia Sithole, the leader of the delegation.
The delegation has instructed the department to ensure that disciplinary processes against officials that have contributed to the delays are instituted. “Furthermore, departments must lodge criminal investigation where investigation reveals impropriety. It is also unacceptable that there is a trend of appointing companies that are incapable to deliver projects timeously,” she said. The delegation has called for blacklisting of such companies to prevent the recurrence of underperformance.
Apart from this, the delegation was also disappointed by the quality of responses given by departmental officials. It has demanded a comprehensive report on the project, which must cover a period from 2011 when the project started up until now, with full details of cost overruns, the value for money delivered by contracted companies and action the department has taken to address the current challenges.
The delegation was alarmed by the state of the Sanieshof Waste Water Treatment Works. The Sannieshof Wastewater Treatment Works, located in the Tswaing Local Municipality within the Ngaka Modiri Molema District, is undergoing an upgrade and refurbishment project worth millions. This initiative aims to accommodate the area’s increasing population while ensuring communities have access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities.
Despite the assurances from the Municipal Manager of the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality of tangible progress in the development of the project, the reality on the ground is antithetical. The delegation decried the fact that the plant does not have a security fence around and poses a drowning hazard to children.
Notwithstanding the assurance that the municipality had hired a security company to safeguard the property, there is no visible security on site. “The municipality complained that they have experienced vandalism of the plant and that as a corrective measure a security contractor was appointed yet there was no guard house or presence of a security officer. The delegation has requested a clear plan to secure the site and complete the development of the plant,” Ms Sithole said.
The delegation has welcomed assurances from the Department of Public Works and Roads that Phase II of the maintenance of the P152/1 Road from Setlagole to Delareyville will be completed by December 2024. “We acknowledge that all government departments are operating with reduced budgets, but they are hopeful that the new allocation will lead to the completion of the project,” Ms Sithole emphasised.
The delegation will today visit the N12 and N14 stalled housing projects as well as the Disaster Management Centre.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE LEADER OF THE NORTH WEST PROVINCIAL DELEGATION, MS SYLVIA SITHOLE.
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