GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Councillor Eldrige Ruiters is still concerned about the seven tenders for retrofitting indigent household toilets in Graaff-Reinet, Nieu-Bethesda, Aberdeen, Willowmore, Rietbron, Klipplaat and Jansenville.
These tenders were advertised in September 2023 and subsequently awarded to a Gqeberha-based company, Platinum Construction.
Retrofitting was critical to save water
Ruiters spoke out on the issue of the tenders for the first time in October last year.
While he agreed that the retrofitting was critical to save water in the drought-stricken Dr Beyers Naudé towns, he called the enormous amount spent on the project into question.
After the publication of his concerns in Graaff-Reinet Advertiser [Bucks spent on loos get boos, Graaff-Reinet Advertiser, 17 October 2024], Ruiters received a notice from the speaker, Cheslin Felix, informing him that his allegations relating to the municipality's supply chain management matters are regarded as serious and cannot be left unattended.
He was requested to submit evidence supporting his allegations to the speaker's office before 30 October but, according to him, nothing came of this.
Pilot phase a failure
In addition to his questions around the money that was spent, Ruiters is now questioning the fact that implementation of the project went ahead despite the fact that the pilot phase in Thembalesizwe and Aberdeen appeared to have been a failure.
"Shortly after the installation of the 500 waterwise toilet system canisters, Thembalesizwe residents started complai-ning about it," says Ruiters.
"The toilets cannot flush down faeces – residents need to fill up 20-litre buckets to flush it down – and therefore it is wasting instead of saving water.
"Many toilets were also left broken and, since the overall situation was worse than it was before, residents resorted to removing the waterwise toilets and putting their old toilets back."
Findings never presented to council
Despite this apparent failure of the pilot phase, the project, with a total value of R24 990 756 for retrofitting 7 260 indigent household toilets over a period of three years, was approved.
The funding for the project implementation was sourced from the Department of Water and Sanitation's water infrastructure grant.
"Why would any municipality continue to implement a failed pilot project? The findings of the pilot project were never presented to council or the Infrastructure Portfolio Committee, so what pilot findings were submitted as part of the business plan in the grant application?"
Project still 'one big secret'
As Ruiters previously mentioned, the total number of toilets that were retrofitted and the cost per unit is still unknown since this particular project is "one big secret".
He says, however, that the DA will continue to interrogate the issue as communities deserve all the facts regarding this project and any irregularities need to be dealt with accordingly.
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