The FF Plus sent an official letter to the Municipal Manager of the Polokwane Local Municipality (Pietersburg), Ms Thuso Nemugumoni, warning her to settle the Municipality’s dispute with a contractor about the construction of the Sand River Bridge to prevent a full-scale traffic disaster.
The dispute arose when the wrong size support beams were ordered. No-one wants to accept responsibility for it.
Support beams were manufactured and delivered according to the plans drawn up by the engineer, but the correct length was never verified.
The project has, consequently, ground to a halt for months.
The Sand River Bridge forms part of the busy Nelson Mandela Drive and there is a risk that the Bridge, as it currently stands, might give way under the weight of heavy vehicles.
The Municipality prioritised the construction of this part of the Drive with the aim of redirecting truck traffic away from Pietersburg’s central business district.
The project’s delay is also preventing the installation of a power cable running underneath the Bridge to a 11kW substation in an area frequently affected by power outages.
Both the bridge and substation construction projects were financed, but the funds for these two projects had to be given back to the National Treasury as a result of the ongoing dispute.
So, now the Municipality has to dip into its own service delivery budget to complete the projects.
In December 2023, the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), on which the FF Plus serves, gave the Municipality 30 days to resolve the dispute.
Because the Municipality failed to do so, the Committee conducted another oversight visit in January 2024.
As long as the bridge project remains unfinished, the cable and substation will be vandalised, causing the Municipality extensive damage.
The party will follow up on its letter to Ms Nemugumoni, and keep fighting for Pietersburg residents and motorists’ safety.
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