The Democratic Alliance is to request the Auditor-General to investigate alleged irregularities surrounding a contract to upgrade facilities at the Western Cape College of Nursing, outside Cape Town.
Robin Carlisle, a DA representative on public works in the Western Cape, told a media briefing in Cape Town on Thursday that an alteration of the tender contract — after the fact — which seriously prejudiced unsuccessful tenderers, would also be referred to the Auditor-General.
Carlisle said the Western Cape government awarded its first substantial contract with a previously disadvantaged company, Zacon Construction, in 2002 to upgrade the college at a cost of R7,5-million. This was widely welcomed, including by the DA.
The contract was to have run from January 2002 until May 2003.
”The upgrading process has deteriorated into a disaster, with serious economic implications for the province. There are also serious allegations of procedural irregularities,” Carlisle said.
”The college is in a deplorable state. Painting, floors, ceilings, windows, burglar bars and finishing are in part or in total unsatisfactory and not to specification.”
Carlisle said all the work would have to be redone. He challenged public works MEC Tasneem Essop to give the media access to the college ”so they can see for themselves.”
Carlisle said that by the end of the contract period, less than 44% of the work had been done, and most of it was of an unacceptable quality.
Essop has since terminated Zacon’s contract. He said at the time the contractor was under-capacitated and had inadequate human resources.
The head of the college had written to the acting director of public works, saying ”the lack of progress has a very negative impact on the working conditions of staff and the learning environment of the students.”
Carlisle said the number of students living at the college had been cut from 350 to 60 and they were being fed from a makeshift kitchen.
”The main kitchen resembles a bomb site.”
Carlisle said he wished to state emphatically that the issue had ”little to do with black empowerment but everything to do with bad governance.”
The behaviour of the provincial government was ”disgraceful”.
”Rather than admit that an honest mistake had been made in appointing the contractor, they covered up and resorted to irregular actions that have led to fruitless and unauthorised expenditure running into millions of rands, which will be reported to the AG,” Carlisle said. – Sapa