About 73 RDPS abandoned and incomplete

SEKHUKHUNE

The DA in Sekhukhune, want to know why RDP houses were left abandoned and incomplete.

According to DA Councillor Isaac Makofane, several residents were left homeless after 73 houses under Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality were left incomplete.

Makofane said the houses were meant for poor families. But they were surprised to see the RDPs empty since 2014. He said the houses had no doors, windows or roofs.

He said they realised the matter during their door-to-door campaign recently.
Makofane said MEC for Human Settlement Jerry Ndou should intervene and ensure that the houses were completed.“The MEC will also have to hold the contractors who abandoned the project to account without hesitation,” said Makofane. “It’s shocking that many of the potential beneficiaries of the abandoned houses are currently living in tiny shacks and mud houses.”

“It reinforces the view that the department doesn’t have the adequate project oversight capabilities necessary for keeping contractors honest and obligated to publicly funded projects.”He said the failure to complete the houses by the department proved that the ANC government undermined people’s dignity.“Our people have an opportunity to vote for change next year. That would help to root out corruption and it would restore dignity if people had decent accommodation,” said Makofane.

Paena Galane, a spokesman for Coghsta, said the department was aware of the abandoned and incomplete houses.“The MEC has asked for the department’s projects assessment in the previous financial year with the aim of finding out the challenges we face.“The assessment has been done but it was discovered that there were contractors who vanished with their phase one amounts.“We were forced to pull out 11 contractors from our database because they couldn’t be able to complete their duties as agreed. Currently, the rectification programme is finished and other contractors are in position to complete all the incomplete houses in the province.”