Mayor, SMME leaders meet
Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani has requested a list of all the SMMEs who have not been paid.
This followed a meeting between Bobani and small business leaders on Thursday, with some SMME owners saying they were not paid for cleaning the city’s drains in December.
“I had a meeting with the leadership of the black business caucus this morning and it was a very peaceful, calm and productive meeting.
“I told them that the contractors must be able to provide us with a list of all the unpaid SMMEs and from there we’ll inquire from the contractors about payments.
“We want to resolve this once and for all so we can finally bring closure to this chapter in the city,” Bobani said.
He said he wanted the dispute resolved in two weeks.
The municipality used two Bay companies – Finecorp and JK Structures – which were already on its supply database and had existing contracts with the city for drain-cleaning.
Finecorp and JK Structures then signed a cession on December 13 with Sholden Lukwe Construction and Mbumba Project Managers to manage and pay the SMMEs.
In January, dozens of SMME owners gathered outside the Port Elizabeth City Hall and the Uitenhage Town Hall claiming some had not been paid.
Black business caucus secretary Nomasomi Matinise confirmed Thursday’s meeting, but declined to say more.