Update

KAROO NEWS - The Dr Beyers Naudé municipality published a notice on their Facebook page on Friday, 4 October informing residents that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) will be assessing allegations of maladministration and corruption reported by a whistleblower.

According to the municipality the SIU delivered a letter to them on Wednesday 2 October requesting financial documentation related to eight different tenders for the purpose of this assessment.

This includes tenders for the provision of security services, the development of the Kroonvale soccer field (second phase), the upgrade of the Collie Koeberg Sports Stadium, the provision of a fleet and fuel management system, the delivery of leased vehicles on full maintenance, and the cleaning of sewerage pump stations, drains, pipelines and stormwater pipelines. 

It is alleged that certain municipal officials colluded with service providers in the process of awarding or executing these specific tenders.

Municipality welcomes SUI assessment

The municipality welcomed SIU's assessment of these allegations and committed to cooperate by providing the required information within two weeks as requested. Residents were also encouraged to report any alleged irregularities and provide evidence in support thereof to relevant authorities.

Project's timely and successful completion

The Graaff-Reinet Advertiser previously reported on concerns relating to some of the tenders that will now be assessed by the SIU, the most recent of which was the tender for the upgrade of the Collie Koeberg Sports Stadium.

This tender was advertised on 1 June 2021 but, apart from the tender itself, no tender documentation could be found on the Dr Beyers Naudé Municipality's website. However, according to the municipality, a total of 12 tender submissions for this three-year contract were received by the closing date, all of which were subjected to a detailed evaluation process.

The lowest tender submission was R15-million, but the contract was awarded to Rudcor Engineering (Pty) Ltd with a final tender amount of R18 987 063.

According to the municipality, this selection was made to ensure the project's timely and successful completion as Rudcor Engineering's capacity and experience reduced the risk of delays, cost overruns, and quality issues.

The ablution facilities were in a terrible state before the refurbishment.

Progress updates never provided

This particular contract has been a cause of great community concern for a considerable period of time, particularly since the promised progress updates were never provided.

In response to the concern of the community, a comprehensive report on the progress, including a breakdown of the bill of quantities, was presented to the municipal council's executive committee (ExCo) on Tuesday 1 October.

The report indicated that the implementation of the project was influenced by various factors, including a significant reduction in the initial budget.

The netball and tennis courts before the refurbishment.

National and international sports standards

In terms of the original business plan that was prepared in March 2020, the total budget needed for the upgrade was estimated at R45 084 433.

This estimate covered an extensive range of upgrades, including pavilion renovations, new ablution facilities, a cricket clubhouse, a synthetic athletics track, and overall enhancements to meet national and international sports standards.

Upon the instruction of the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, however, this amount was revised in November 2020 and reduced to R21 716 255, less than half the initial estimate. This was necessary to align the budget with the available Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) funding.

After the project underwent a final revision in March 2022 the budget was further reduced to R18 865 370.

These reductions necessitated a focus on the most critical components of the project - essential renovations and safety features - while deferring the less critical components to future phases.

Completed in time

The project was divided into three portions and implemented over three financial years.

Whilst this was necessary due to budgetary constraints, it introduced considerable challenges that required careful management.

Despite these challenges, the following were completed within the allocated timeframe:

• Rebuilding the netball- and tennis courts
• Planting grass on, and installing root barriers around, the sport fields
• Refurbishing the team locker rooms, storeroom, guardhouse, and ablution buildings
• Replacing the old fencing with new Betafence fencing
• Replacing the old asbestos roof of the pavilion with a corrugated iron roof
• Partially paving the entry road to the stadium
• Constructing three separate tuck-shop kiosks

The neat netball and tennis courts after refurbishment.

Extra work done

Additionally, a considerable amount of work not included in the initial contract between the municipality and Rudcor Engineering also needed to be completed. To irrigate the newly planted grass, for example, they had to replace the broken pump at the sewage treatment plant where the water was sourced from.

They also had to restore the old asbestos pipeline connecting the sewage treatment plant to the complex multiple times.

The refurbished ablution facility looks neat and clean.

Provision of security services

Concerns relating to the two tenders for the provision of security services was also previously reported on by the Graaff-Reinet Advertiser.

The Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality entered into a contract for the provision of security services with an identified security company on 7 June 2018. After the conclusion of the contract serious concerns were raised around the systematic ransacking of municipal properties at the hands of criminal elements while security guards were posted to safeguard these properties.

Another concerning issue was the fact that this particular contract came to an end on

30 June 2021 but the contract for the provision of security services for the next 36 months was placed on tender on 21 June only.

The deadline for tenders was 21 July but by the end of August another service provider had still not been contracted.

The newly refurbished ablution building.

Not promoting local economic development

Concern relating to the tender specifications of this particular tender was also raised as it appeared not to promote local economic development but rather to deliberately or inadvertently exclude Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) from the tender process.

Irrespective of these concerns, the new contract for the provision of security services was eventually awarded to the same security company, presumably towards the end of 2021.

Legal proceedings

In response to articles outlining the abovementioned concerns, the security company in question instituted legal proceedings against the Graaff-Reinet Advertiser claiming that these articles contained defamatory statements that were harmful to their reputation.

This case is still pending and will be reported on as soon as it is resolved.

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