Row over R7.3m refuse removal tender top-up
THE eTHEKWINI Municipality’s approval of an additional R7.3million on top of the R74.5m allocated to subcontract for waste collection in uMlazi, including Glebelands Hostel, has angered hostel residents.
“This is plain corruption because, as you can see, we remove our own garbage from our corridors to the skips until they overflow. The last time garbage was collected here was about a month ago,” said a Block 56 resident, who did not want to be named.
“There are health risks for our children here,” said a mother.
According to a city council report an oversight had occurred when making provisions for budgetary requirements to accommodate an empowerment programme for subcontractors.
Zwakele Mncwango, provincial DA leader, said: “Councillors can’t be involved in direct awarding of tenders without being approached by the accounting officer, as per the procedure, to approve financial allocation for the extension of municipal programmes.”
It is not clear how the subcontractors would be selected.
Mthunzi Gumede, mayor Zandile Gumede’s spokesperson, said the hostel situation would be reported to the mayor for urgent action.
The Delangokubona KZN Business Forum’s spokesperson, Bhamuza Mnyandu, blamed “corrupt officials” for the non-collection of rubbish.
He said they had uncovered a manager at Durban Solid Waste who had added 15 “ghost” subcontractors to the list of refuse collectors.
“We had a meeting with the municipality where we tabled evidence that some subcontractors did not exist.
“We will have another meeting today with other business forums and the municipality to chat about a way forward,” Mnyandu said.