Daily Dispatch Online
Careless contractors investigated
EASTERN Cape’s Housing Department is investigating low cost housing building contractors for their shoddy workmanship on thousands of homes in the province.
“Contractors who built the houses are under investigation by the department in an effort to recover the monies paid to the contractors,” MEC Thobile Mhlahlo said in a statement.
Departmental spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha yesterday said he could not name the constructors under investigation. This was because they were waiting for the launch of the department’s turn- around plan on September 30.
“As part of the anti-fraud strategy the department will launch a turn- around plan on how to deal with crime and fraud in housing,” Sicwetsha said.
The investigation comes two months after Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu met emerging contractors as part of an assessment of housing delivery in the province.
This was after a national team of officials was sent from her department to help accelerate housing delivery.
In April a decision was taken to dispatch a team by the Cabinet after considering a report on the province’s failure to deliver houses.
This was after the provision of houses plummeted from 37000 units in 2005 to 11750 in the last financial year, resulting in R500million remaining unspent in the housing budget. This had to be returned to the national Treasury for allocation to other provinces.
According to Mhlahlo, R75m has been set aside to rectify about 19000 defective houses built after 1994.
“The quality of these houses was so poor that we could not let people occupy them as it would have compromised their safety,” he said.
The defects include disfunctional walls, foundations, doors and roofs.
“We want to hand over houses that people can live in and be proud of. Hence we are starting this process of rectifying them so that people can have quality houses,” Mhlahlo said.
Work on the defective houses has already started in projects found in Buffalo City and the district municipalities of Chris Hani and Ukhahlamba.
Work on projects in King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality and the district municipalities of Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo will start soon.
Last week the provincial and national technical committees visited the sites to assess the extent of the damage and requirements for rebuilding.
“The process of awarding the tenders has already begun,” said Mhlahlo.
The department is one of four identified by Premier Mbulelo Sogoni for reprioritisation of its plan as part of a government intervention strategy. - By MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA
Senior Political Correspondent
As they say - "better late then never"