Officials who scrapped roads deal face music

GAUTENG roads and transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo says he will act against officials involved in the cancellation of contracts worth R1.5 billion meant for the construction and maintenance of roads in the province.

Mamabolo made the pledge after the DA’s spokesperson on roads and transport, Fred Nel, made an urgent call for him to act following the department’s annual report – which is yet to be officially tabled in the Legislature.

The report has revealed that the Gauteng roads and transport department had to cancel eight of the 16 tenders it had planned for 2018/19.

Nel said the projects included an R800 million tender for the construction of a road network between De Deur and Walkerville in the Vaal.

The project on the deteriorating road between the two smallholding communities has been marred by a series of fatal road accidents.

The other cancellation of multimillion-rand road construction projects happened in the north of Joburg, between Allandale Road and Woodmead. It also affected the rehabilitation of some of the connecting routes. The project was to have cost R191m.

In Tshwane, officials allegedly cancelled a contract worth R235m for the rehabilitation of road networks, including the revamp of a 9.3km stretch of Solomon Mahlangu Drive. Up to R180m was budgeted for that project, while a R200m project for grass cutting, tree felling and litter picking for three years in all five regions in Gauteng was also cancelled.

“The cancellation of these tenders has had a negative impact on mobility, as it contributes to increasing traffic congestion and ultimately gridlock,” the MEC said.