Durban — The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) Deputy Minister, Sihle Zikalala has read the riot act to the contractor and DPWI officials on the slow pace of progress in the construction and completion of the Home Affairs building in KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal.
Zikalala embarked on his second visit to the project as part of the Siyahlola programme, aimed at unblocking stalled projects under the DPWI.
The home affairs construction site was handed over to the contractor in February 2021 and was expected to be completed in 24 months at a cost of just above R39m.
Zikalala first visited the site in November 2023 when the project was around 49% complete and put in place measures to expedite the project. To date, the project is sitting at 70% complete, at an anticipated cost of over R45m.
Zikalala demanded a detailed report, in seven days, on plans to complete the project. He said it cannot be that the DPWI continues to be associated with incomplete projects that have ballooning costs. He was concerned that the building could house many rooms for vagrants if is left unfinished.
“We are quite concerned about these delays but it is clear that there are bigger problems faced by the contractor. We will be taking decisive action to deal with such situations because government cannot continue with costly leases because projects are not completed on time,” said Zikalala.
Zikalala said if everything goes according to plan, the project should be completed by March 2025, allowing citizens to access the vital services offered by home affairs. He said the DPWI will also review the project management structures including constantly reviewing the performance of the contractors so that if they do not perform to the expected standards, action may be swiftly taken.
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