Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality entangled in non-payment feud with contractor
MARBLE HALL – Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality is embroiled in a bitter feud with a contractor over non payment of rendered services.
Mahungele Trust Company claims the local municipality failed to pay for the road project constructed in 2012.
Mahungele Trust Company Director, Bafana Mabungela said the local municipality owes him R991 000 plus a two percent for every month since June 2012.
Mahungele further said his company was left unpaid after completing bedding in the Moganyaka Access Road Project that was constructed in 2012.
He added the company was supposed to be paid R1.3 Million to complete the project and that only R348 000 was paid to Mahungele and the R991 000 was still outstanding.
“I completed the work and submitted the invoices to the municipality and was told to wait for a few years for the balance that never arrived,” he informed.
The contractor said he has been in negotiations with municipality officials since 2012 but his outstanding money was never paid.
On Monday 9 July, Mabungela served the municipality with letters notifying that he was going to attach some of the property to cover the money he is owed.
The businessman informed he did not involve the court but issued the letters straight from his company direct to the municipality.
“I did not want to follow the legal route because it will take too long and I have been waiting for a very long time already. It has been six years already but nothing happened. I just want to take the municipality property that can cover the value of the money they owe me plus interests,” he said.
He further informed he was targeting to take graders and TLBS to recover his money.
On Wednesday 11 July, Mabungela went to the municipality aiming to load the municipality property as it was stated in letters served to the council, an urgent meeting was called by the municipal manager aiming to get to the bottom of the matter.
“They never engaged me in a serious meeting before and hear my concern, this means that they were not taking me seriously,” explained Mabungela.
He said although he reversed his decision to attach the municipality property, he is not happy about the 14 day period requested by the municipality for investigation.
“They made me wait for six years without paying my money or giving me clear answers. I did not want to wait anymore. All I wanted was my money because my family is starving. I hope they will honour the agreement and pay my money when we meet again after 14 days,” he said.
Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality Manager, Monica Mathebela, said they knew about Mahungele’s complaint and are busy with it.
“We know about his claim and currently we are still busy with investigations. The problem is that the project was completed in 2012 and we do not have documentary proof with us at the moment. Two other phases were done in the project which makes it difficult to trace the phase 1 documents immediately, but we requested the contractor to give us 14 days to investigate,” she said.
Mathebela said Mahungele will be given a feedback after the municipality finalize its investigation.
