More than a million up in smoke
R2.5m for sports ground upgrade leaves it worse off
AQUALITY assessment carried out on a sports facility near Peddie has suggested that despite having recently undergone a R2.5-million upgrade, only R1.6-million worth of work was carried out.
Responding to the Tyhefo community’s pleas for an upgraded sports facility, in 2016 a municipal infrastructure grant of R2 437 151 was approved for the construction and rehabilitation of the Glenmoore Sports Facility, which falls under Ngqushwa municipality.
The municipality awarded the contract to Mgunculu Trading, a company owned by ANC Amathole regional treasurer Onke Mgunculu.
However when the community went to use the newly upgraded facility, they found it fell way below their expectations. What used to be known for its vibrant crowd atmosphere and the tournaments hosted, they claim was no longer useable.
“Big companies used to sponsor us. Villages are constantly enquiring about the availability of the stadium; we don’t know what to tell them. We didn’t know by fixing it we would actually be ruining it,” said Glenmoore ward committee member Lindelwa Tyatya.
The community asked non-government agency Afesis-Corplan to help them address their issues over the upgrade.
A 49-page report published by Ubuchule Design Studio who were appointed by Afesis-Corplan to conduct an inspection of the Glenmoore Sports Facility, revealed some of the issues.
“There is glaring disparity in the actual construction and valuation cost of the facility. We strongly believe that cost-cutting measures were undertaken to maximise profits, and therefore compromised quality and output,” states the report.
The report reveals the actual value of the project equals R1 648 223.40 and not the R2.5-million paid to the contractor.
Below are some of the valuations of the actual work done, compared to the money paid for the work. The estimates were carried out by Beke & Associates, quantity surveyors:
● Paid: guard house R112 551; valuation cost R65 720;
● Paid: pit latrine cost R317 740;
● Paid: change rooms valuation cost R412 962;
● Paid: netball court R117 400; valuation cost R12 190;
● Paid: basketball court valuation cost R9 400; and
● Paid: main field R270 800; cost R87 000.
When the Daily Dispatch visited the sports facility last month, the R117 400 netball court was covered in soil due to there being no perimeter fence or retaining wall built to avoid soil run-off on to the court. The report revealed the court’s surface was finished with an inappropriate paint.
The report also acknowledged the R332 650; valuation R440 145; R85 690; valuation damages caused by vandalism by community members after last year’s protest when people were frustrated by the quality of the sports facility.
Mgunculu disputed the findings of the report and maintains that he carried out the job according to the requirements of the contract.
“When I left the site, everyone was satisfied – both the PSC [project subcommittee comprising members of the community] and the municipality, that is why I have a certificate of completion to prove my work as satisfactory.
“Those people at Ubuchule are not engineers, they are architects, they are not qualified to do the work – their job is to design,” he said.
Mgunculu also questioned the credibility of the report due to AfesisCorplan’s project manager Lindokuhle Vellem’s relationship to Ubuchule’s manager Momelezi Vellem.
“The manager at Ubuchole is the brother of Lindokuhle from AfesisCorplan. So how must I take them seriously? Clearly she asked for a favour from him not knowing that they are architects not engineers.”
Vellem clarified the company’s objective in the project was as an “evaluator, not a forensic investigator”.
“We did our own evaluation of the project. If he has a problem with the way we did it, he can take it to court. We are not subjective to anything.”
Vellem added that there are more contractual documents Mgunculu refused to release.
“If he said he got a certificate that shows his work was complete, then he needs to show this so people can see who signed it off.
“That would prove who has to be accountable.”
Last month when Dispatch visited the sports facility, Ngqushwa municipality was in the process of rectifying the stadium but had problems gathering funds to purchase the required kikuyu grass suitable for both a rugby and football pitch.
The municipality could not be reached for comment.
Tyatya said the community was frustrated by the slow development of the facility, but was satisfied by the rectification process that had already begun.
Afesis-Corplan will host an Indaba on Wednesday where the municipality, the community and possibly the contractor will engage on the problems faced by the community over the facility.
Mgunculu said he would go to the event only if he is invited by the municipality.
“I am a service provider for the municipality. I had a contract with the municipality, not this organisation [Afesis-Corplan].” —