Tender spree fails villagers

Waterworks contractor coining it but residents say taps are dry

AKOMANI man has gone from rags to riches as a big-time water infrastructure supplier in the Chris Hani district – but villagers who were supposed to benefit from his services are still having to draw water from dams and boreholes.

An investigation by The Herald’s sister paper, Daily Dispatch, revealed that Mfundo Kwani, of Mfuraa Projects and General, has continued to win contracts worth millions of rands since 2013, with the number accelerating to 12 for the period between August last year and last month.

Sources within the municipality say a disproportionate number of major tenders in the municipality have gone Kwani’s way.

They have questioned why the company continued to be prioritised.

Chris Hani Municipality spokeswoman Thobeka Mqamelo confirmed that Mfuraa Projects had received more awards than the other contractors.

But she said this was because the municipality appreciated the company’s pricing and called on other contractors to follow suit.

Kwani, meanwhile, said he had delivered on the work he was awarded. He said if people were not getting water, the blame lay with the municipality. A municipal source, however, said: “The area has been badly hit by drought, but Kwani’s company gets all the tenders to supply water projects.

“But if you go and investigate in Engcobo alone, in Msawawa village, there’s no water. People still drink with their livestock while millions are paid [for water supply infrastructure].”

Kwani denied the claims and showed pictures of taps with running water. But when reporters visited the villages last week, the taps were dry.

Kwani blamed the municipality and also cited theft for the problems. “Ours is to fix the broken infrastructure or build new structures and make sure people get water.

“If they don’t get it, the municipality should answer, not us.

“Theft is also crippling the services.”

He said he could not remember how much he had been paid over the period in question and laughed off suggestions that he was a millionaire.

“At times I operate at a loss, why am I a millionaire?

“I am not corrupt and no one has ever done favours for me or for my company.

“I am a hard worker but there are those who are jealous, who can’t keep up with us.”

He also said he was supporting projects including schools in the community and employed people for his projects.

The tender allocation history shows that:

Since 2013, close to R75-million worth of tenders have been awarded to Mfuraa;

Eight months into the 201617 financial year, his company has been paid R40-million for water projects; to R20-million worth of tenders were awarded to his company between August and November last year and;

Between August last year and last month, 12 tenders were awarded to his company, while a competitor only got two.

In October 2015, the municipality, through a council resolution, ordered that because of the drought all waterworks tenders in the district were to be treated as emergency work.

The municipality then awarded tenders to three companies: Mfuraa Projects and General, Zana Manzi and Classy Trade and Investment for the provision of technical support for water.

The work was supposed to be rotated among all three companies.

But municipal sources said most of the work was being awarded to Mfuraa.