SPTC penalises BOCCIM chair�s consultancy
Onalenna Kelebeile | Friday May 30, 2014 16:13
Mosienyane and Partners International Consultants were engaged at a sum of over P2 million and the project that started in May 2012 was supposed to be completed in March 2013.
During the delivery of the Urban Development Plan (UDC) report, Economic Planner Ezekiel Joel said the project was 60 percent behind schedule.
He explained that the reference group meeting was held in February this year to consider the draft final report.
“At the time of reporting, the consultant had not finalised the draft, hence SPTC evoked a clause on delayed works,” he told council.
This means that the consultant will pay council five percent of the contract sum as penalty.
The consultancy was necessary to plan the town’s future development as council incurred huge costs during the relocation of some Botshabelo residents to Phase 3 because planning was not properly done.
It aims to accord the town a distinctive image and character as well as to rationally zone the land and provide a circulation system within the planning area.
The review of Selebi-Phikwe development plan, according to previous briefings was necessitated by the fact that the current plan was prepared over 13 years ago. However, the physical, economic and environmental conditions on which proposals were based, have changed.
Councillors expressed concerns over failure to meet the deadline by the consultant and said the situation was disturbing. They said that they did not know what to believe now because the mayor stated that the report will soon be adopted by council while the UDC reported it was only 60 percent complete. However it was explained that emphasis is placed on the critical part of the project.
Officials of Mosienyane and Partners International Consultants could not be reached as they were said to be in a meeting.
Meanwhile, councillors moved that all services that were outsourced should be returned to council for better management.
This was in view of the fact that all the 34 SHHA turnkey housing projects that started in February this year were still incomplete though they were expected to be complete by April this year.
Councillors said even the outsourced health services should come back to the council. Joel had reported that the challenges the project faced included the contractor’s failure to mobilise citing lack of funds, low labour rates and the tendency to abandon projects by contractors.
He added that the SHHA programme has moved to terminate non-performing contractors, engaging reputable individuals and adjustment of labour rates in order to mitigate the challenges.
“We have always said all services that are failing should be brought back to council. The projects fail to complete on time and the SHHA committee is overwhelmed with the same concerns,” said councillor Koos Mashaba.
Adding on, Councillor Mmapula Phuduhudu said the P60,000 per project is just too little for local contractors and that they were left with debts instead of making profit. She added that they were yet expected to comply with the standards. “We are being unfair to Batswana, why not give them P120,000 at least so that they are able to deliver. They are disgruntled, hence this situation,” she added.