Durban – Public Works and Infrastructure Deputy Minister, Sihle Zikalala has read the riot act to a contractor and department officials over the delayed completion of the Home Affairs building in KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal.
On Monday, Deputy Minister Zikalala embarked on his second visit to the project as part of the Siyahlola programme, aimed at unblocking stalled projects under the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (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 R45 million.
Deputy Minister 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.
“We are quite concerned about these delays but it is clear that there are bigger problems faced by the Contractor,” the deputy minister said.
“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.”
Deputy Minister Zikalala said if everything goes according to plan, the project should be completed by March 2025.
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.
