R10,000 BRAAI STANDS CRACKING AFTER ONLY TWO MONTHS
Multi-million rands injected to get service delivery for rural towns
Questions are being raised over the quality and cost of new braai stands erected at Nahoon Caravan Park on behalf of Buffalo City Metro
Premier Masualle said they were committed in supporting local business
Small business owners sometimes complain about not benefiting from government projects.
And when they are subcontracted, some of them do shoddy workmanship, resulting in the state having to spend millions of rands to fix their poor work.
And companies doing business with the state sometimes complain of not being paid within the 30 days of submitting invoices for work done.
But that was not the case in the Eastern Cape Office of the Premier’s small town revitalisation projects in Nyandeni, Raymond Mhlaba, Sunday River Valley, and Elundini municipalities.
The OTP injected R43.5m towards improving service delivery in Ngqeleni and Libode.
And while big companies like Batabile Construction Services, which is a grade seven company, won tenders to tar roads in the two rural towns, seven small, medium, micro enterprises and 19 suppliers benefited from the projects.
Batabile Construction Services subcontracted to Ande Civils – a local SMME.
The company’s co-director Khanyile Tofa said he was happy with the quality of work of the SMME.
“Because we are a little bigger, it is very important that we develop SMMEs so that one day they will also get to grade seven,” he said.
Tofa said while SMME development is very crucial, the quality of work should never be compromised. He said during the tarring of internal streets in Ngqeleni, they and the municipality continuously monitored the work of SMMEs.
Ande Civils director Ludumo Mjanyelwa said they were happy to have been one of the SMMEs that were subcontracted. His company did block paving and surfacing.
“I think it is very important for SMMEs to get such opportunities so that we will also develop and open more opportunities for others. By getting work, that means I get to employ between six and eight people who are also able to feed their families.
“The Office of the Premier must continue funding our local municipalities so that our small towns will be developed. When our towns are developed, we won’t have to go to Johannesburg and other big cities to look for jobs and compete with locals.
“I would like to thank the Office of the Premier, Nyandeni Municipality and Batabile Construction Services for the opportunity – I can safely say I did learn something,” he said.
Mjanyelwa said to ensure that the same SMMEs do not get subcontracted in government projects, there should be a package whereby an SMME would automatically be moved to another grade by the CIDB – on condition that they did a good job.
“That will mean you will not get the same SMMEs benefiting as we will not be competing for the same jobs anymore,” he said.
For the Libode projects, three SMMEs were subcontracted for R197,000.
One of those was Sigwili Group which company director Cwenga Sigwili said he was now in the process of applying for grade two after successfully carrying out the project.
Sigwili said they never experienced any payment problems.
“The payment cycle was perfect because after submitting invoices, we were paid within two days.
“The delay in payment is what normally kills most SMMEs. We did not experience that.
“Maybe it’s because we got the jobs through the municipality as opposed to contractors we don’t even know,” Sigwili said.
Tofa heaped praise on premier Phumulo Masualle’s office, saying their continued funding of mega municipal projects had helped, not only to deliver improved services, but had also contributed towards business development.
“The Office of the Premier must continue supporting municipalities because municipal infrastructure grand funding sometimes is not even to carry out some of the projects.
“And municipalities do not have the financial muscle to carry out such big projects,” Tofa said.
In Alice, the OTP has set aside R24.1m for upgrading internal roads.
Director-general Marion MbinaMthembu said: “The SMMEs are doing exceptionally well on the sidewalk programme. The quality is very good.”
She said other projects like the Aquapark Roads projects in Kirkwood had been completed. SMMEs were subcontracted to install cutoff beams and speed humps. Four other SMMEs were busy with kerbing on the Bergsig roads project.
“A total of 52 SMMEs in the Sunday River Valley Municipality. Their work is very good,” MbinaMthembu said.
The DG said 79 SMMEs had benefited in the small town revitalisation projects in Nyaneni, Raymond Mhlaba while others had undergone training in Elundini.
Masualle said they were committed in supporting local businesses.
“The OTP will continue to support the municipality to improve service delivery to the people of Nyandeni by ensuring that the planned projects are fully funded and completed on time while creating jobs and business opportunities through our small town revitalisation programme,” he said.