KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Infrastructure Department has gone to court to force a contractor to pay back the money that the government paid for shoddy work.

The contractor had been awarded a tender to do renovations and build extra wards at Nkonjeni Public Hospital in Mhlabathini outside Ulundi, in the north of the province.

However, the department recently suspended the contractor for doing substandard work and wants to recoup money from it.

The Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer announced this during a joint media briefing with the provincial Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Mngadi on Tuesday.

The two MECs did an oversight on the project that has dragged on for 12 years at King Dinuzulu Hospital in Durban.

Meyer announced a crackdown on 75 stalled projects as a result of contractors’ failure to do their work.

He stated that his department has run out of patience with contractors that are failing to do work according to specifications and is now taking drastic measures to stop that.

“This is for the first time taking a contractor to court and we are serious. We want the taxpayers’ money back. We have already blacklisted seven contractors that will not be doing any work for the government, be it in the province or elsewhere,” said Meyer.

He stated that his office was busy working out how much needs to be recouped from the contractor.

He warned the contractor to desist from violent means, vowing that the government will not tolerate violent behaviour. 

Since the contractor was suspended, the department said it has been receiving reports of intimidation where armed people arrived on site to demand that the department reinstate the contractor.

However, Meyer said he would not be intimidated by anyone and would never bow to any armed group to retain the contractor that has failed to do the work.

He announced that the 75 stalled projects have cost the government R1.3 billion.

Simelane-Mngadi expressed concerns over the delay of the projects, particularly the building of TB wards in King Dinuzulu Hospital.

She said the delay was causing a strain on the hospital management, who had to donate wards for other illnesses to TB patients.

Simelane-Mngadi stated that all projects of her department must be always treated with urgency and urged MEC Meyer to sort out his department’s problems with the contractors.

“We are very concerned about delays in finishing construction projects in our health facilities; however, we are happy with the assurance we are receiving from MEC Meyer today, particularly that the TB facility here in King Dinuzulu will be completed in May next year. We need all the projects in our hospitals to be done as quickly as possible,” said Simelane-Mngadi.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za

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