The Democratic Alliance has called for urgent answers from Gamagara Municipality after a road contractor that received millions of rands in public funds, despite completing only a fraction of the work, appears to have disappeared.
According to a Section 71 report received this week, R8.396 million was paid to Selenane in connection with the project.
In June, the DA raised concerns over the R15 million pothole-repair project after it emerged that work had been scheduled on roads showing little to no evidence of pothole damage. To date, the contractor has only completed partial work in Hendrick van Eck Street and Frikkie Meyer Road. This could not have cost anywhere near R8 million.
The contractor has since disappeared from the site, while the municipality has resumed filling potholes itself.
The DA previously questioned the source of funding for the project, which was not included in the municipality’s budget. The municipality claims the money comes from disaster-response funding related to last year’s heavy rainfall. However, the municipality did not receive any disaster funding.
The contractor’s apparent disappearance raises serious questions about a project already plagued by controversy.
Despite the substantial payment, Gamagara has provided no clarity on the contractor’s whereabouts, the outstanding work, or what steps have been taken to ensure the project is completed.
The DA is also still awaiting answers on why municipality’s own road-repair team was not better capacitated to undertake the work.
The DA has given Gamagara Municipality a week to provide clear answers on the contractor’s whereabouts, the state of the project and the outstanding questions surrounding it. Should the municipality fail to provide satisfactory answers, we will consider further escalation.
A DA-governed municipality will prioritise road maintenance and upgrades through better budget prioritisation and oversight, while making public procurement more transparent by requiring disclosure of all goods and services procured, including contracts awarded and contract prices.
Gamagara residents deserve accountability. Every rand intended to improve local roads must be used to fix roads, not line pockets.