KwaZulu-Natal government to blacklist contractors failing to meet project deadlines

KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Infrastructure MEC, Martin Meyer, has warned contractors doing shoddy work for the government that they will be black-listed.

Speaking at the handing over of a newly refurbished building at RK Khan hospital on Friday, the MEC expressed his disappointment that the R58 million refurbishment would have been long completed if the first contractor had finished the work, warning that the provincial government has taken a decision to black list all contractors that would abandon projects or fail to finish work on time and in budget. He said under his leadership as the new political head of the department he will make sure that contractors finish the work or face black-listing. He also warned those that fail to finish with the budget allocated that there will be no additional funds and there will be consequences for failing to finish on time with the budget that was allocated.

“Gone are the days where contractors would pull out from the projects and come back to do another work for this government. This is a new Public Works and Infrastructure and things have changed. All contractors must finish work or face black-listing. I need them to finish the projects on and in budget,” said Mayer.

He also warned those against citing bad weather as an excuse for finishing projects on time, saying by now everyone knows we are living under the current conditions brought by climate change therefore they must plan accordingly.

The public hospital in Chatsworth south west of Durban was ravaged by 2022 floods which resulted in the closure of two wards and a theatre. This forced the hospital to transfer patients to the neighbouring hospitals.

The MEC also revealed that recently he went through a document that government uses to predict weather patterns over the coming decades and that document shows the province will see 150 millimetres of rain in a single day in a 50 year cycle, however the province has seen such occurrences at least 5 times this year alone.

“This means that when planning for delays in a project, adverse weather conditions must now  be factored in. This also means building hospitals differently in a way that makes them more resilient to the changing external environment and thereby making better equipped to save lives.” concludes MEC.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za