Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Chris Dalton and Sesotho soundbite by Jafta Mokoena MPL.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will formally request an investigation into the appointment of contractors by the Moqhaka Municipality. It will refer this matter to both Provincial and National oversight structures to ensure accountability, transparency, and the protection of public funds.
This comes after a project currently underway on Kroonstad’s main street, Cross Street, was allocated to a contractor without a transparent bidding process. Instead, the municipality relied on a rotational system using a panel of contractors.
The work was initially scheduled to take approximately two weeks; however, it is still ongoing, more than two months later, and costs have escalated significantly.
No wonder we never have funds to upgrade infrastructure or maintain what we have.
The same contractor is working on the sewerage plant that was supposed to be completed and handed over in December after many months of delays. This is still not complete.
Does this process appear to be transparent and fair? I don’t think so.
If all contractors were requested to submit quotations for the work and the best price was accepted that could deliver the quality of work expected, then I would agree.
After submitting official questions about the contract, the Municipal Manager and the Director of Technical Services of the Municipality confirmed that the Director of Technical Services, Mr Mokgatle, approved the work without a contract or a quotation, but on a rotational basis of approved contractors.
Is this not the same as signing a blank cheque?
The Municipal Finance Management Act’s regulations typically require municipalities to obtain quotes or tenders for procurement above certain thresholds. Using a panel doesn’t automatically exempt them from this requirement.
For it to be fair and transparent, the municipality should have clear criteria for selecting contractors from the panel. Ideally, they should get quotes or proposals from more than one contractor on the panel, unless there’s a valid reason not to. A rotational basis alone will not be enough to justify not getting quotes.
As the municipality is not aware of the costs, quotations should have been requested.
The DA will ask for this process to be investigated and will refer it to Provincial and National structures.