Gauteng residents continue to suffer a severe lack of service delivery due to the Gauteng Provincial Government’s (GPG) poor planning which has resulted in the expansion of tenders, costing residents an extra R55 296 610,97.
The money meant for service delivery will be used to complete these projects. This is worrying, as the National Treasury has recently announced that cuts need to be made by the provincial government to their budgets.
During the fourth quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year, the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) requested the expansion of tenders for six infrastructure projects currently underway.
In addition, project overruns due to bad management also contributes to the overspending on infrastructure projects.
The expansions are for four schools, 59 hostels, and the refurbishment of one government building. These projects were undertaken between 2018 and 2023. Two have been extended until December 2023 and four until 2024.
This information was revealed in a written reply to the Democratic Alliance’s questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) regarding tender expansions by GDID for the fourth quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year to MEC Lebogang Maile.
This indicates a lack of proper leadership and necessary expertise to properly manage the completion of key infrastructure projects in the province.
The Democratic Alliance will engage the MEC for Infrastructure Development, Lebogang Maile, to determine what measures are being put in place to ensure that infrastructure projects are completed within the stipulated timelines and on budget to avoid expansions that are costing the province.