Latest news with #R13bn
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Tshwane mayor vows to clean up the capital city
Nasiphi Moya says the city will return to complete its mission after launching clean-up operations at key sites in Tshwane. The special operation at Cemetery View and Plastic View informal settlements last week was just the beginning of cleaning up the capital and the city will return to finish what it started, according to mayor Nasiphi Moya. 'We arrested over 90 illegal immigrants who are now being processed by home affairs. Deportations are expected following court approval. This is the beginning of a process to clean up these areas,' she said. Moya said about 800 South Africans who resided in Plastic View would be relocated. 'Residents of Pretoria East have for years decried the lack of action. We are glad that the city was able to bring in support from SAPS and Home Affairs,' she said. ALSO READ: Tshwane makes strides in corruption fight as city tackles R13bn irregular expenditure backlog Last week, Moya and her deputy mayor, Eugene Modise, made a follow-up oversight visit to the Pretoria Show Grounds and confirmed a cleaning initiative was under way after eight years of neglect. 'The prized property stands at 39 hectares in the heart of the CBD. The level of vandalism we witnessed was disheartening,' she said. Moya and her team also visited the city hall and other hijacked properties in the city. 'We will come back to finish what they have started,' she said. DA Tshwane caucus leader Cilliers Brink said: 'We thank Minister Schreiber for his drive to enforce South Africa's immigration laws and call on Tshwane to finish the work.' NOW READ: Tshwane's R54.6bn budget draws mixed reactions
TimesLIVE
07-05-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
KZN transport MEC calls out contractors for delayed, abandoned road projects
KwaZulu-Natal transport MEC Siboniso Duma has raised concern about the performance of contractors awarded tenders to build and rehabilitate roads in the province. Duma told a media briefing on Wednesday 30 contractors responsible for road projects have cost the department an estimated loss of R4.6bn due to their failure to meet deadlines. Two contractors have abandoned their projects entirely. Duma said a meeting was convened after a surge of complaints about poor execution of road projects. These complaints stemmed from stalled or incomplete projects which have left significant gaps in the province's roads infrastructure. 'We convened this briefing after an engagement with contractors awarded tenders to construct new roads and rehabilitate [existing] roads in the province. Duma took responsibility as a public representative, acknowledging the frustration of residents and stressing the department's commitment to accountability. 'A lot of blame, at times rightly so, has been placed at the feet of the department as the custodian of public transportation. However, the reality is we have contractors failing to honour their contracts and it is time we, as the department, name and shame them. 'From today [Wednesday] we will implement punitive measures to ensure we recover money from contractors who have abandoned road construction projects and those who fail to complete projects on time. 'We also note and understand that in recent years contractors were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, as projects had to be halted to ensure the safety of workers. 'As we were recovering from the pandemic and as construction of our infrastructural projects resumed, the province experienced major floods in December 2021 and 2022, resulting in adjustments and reprioritisation.' Duma said despite these challenges the department has allocated R13bn to infrastructure development, with R9.2bn earmarked specifically for transport infrastructure. Of this, R3.8bn will go towards the construction of new projects while R4.3bn is set aside for roads maintenance. 'More than R102m will be spent on infrastructure planning and design with more than R927m being allocated to support programmes in transport infrastructure.' A significant portion of this budget will be used to tackle the potholes problem. The department has already procured 55 trucks dedicated to pothole patching and will acquire 25 more to reinforce efforts. The department has appointed more than 100 road workers and foremen. 'We allocated a budget of more than R216m towards pothole patching which needed heavy investment in maintenance and rehabilitation.' There are 39 construction projects and 44 rehabilitation or resealing projects under way. However, many of these have faced delays, particularly those managed by the 30 contractors who have failed to deliver. 'Projects managed by these contractors have stalled, with some having been abandoned. There are instances where projects, including site establishment, have not even started. To date, the cost of such delays is R4.6bn,' said Duma. 'We cannot afford to drop the ball due to contractors' failures. Our focus remains on accountability and efficiency, ensuring that KZN citizens see value for their money.'
TimesLIVE
25-04-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Transport dept to spend millions to fix KZN's potholes and get bullet train on track
Fixing kilometres of potholes, getting a bullet train between Gauteng and Durban on track, fixing flood-damaged infrastructure, helping regional airports to fly and pushing for port efficiency is on the KwaZulu-Natal transport's bucket list to grow the province's economy. This emerged during the presentation of the department's R13bn budget for the 2025/26 financial year by MEC Siboniso Duma at the provincial legislature on Friday. Duma said the department will spend R9.2bn (over 70%) of the total budget on transport infrastructure; mainly the 34,405km provincial road network, of which 8,705km is paved and 25,699km unpaved. 'Over R 3.8bn will be spent on constructing new infrastructural projects, while over R 4.3bn will maintain our road network. Over R 102m will be spent on infrastructure planning and design, with over R927m being allocated to support programmes within transport infrastructure,' he said. He noted the paved network needed heavy investment in maintenance and rehabilitation including the patching of potholes. The department allocated a budget of more than R216.5m towards the programme of Black Top Patching in the current financial year. 'In the 2023/24 financial year the department procured 55 trucks at a cost of R103m to tackle the backlog of 3.12-million m2 of potholes,' said Duma. 'We intend to procure a further 25 trucks to reinforce our efforts to eradicate potholes on our network. The department has also appointed more than 100 road worker aids and foremen to be on the front lines in our fight against potholes.' Duma, together with KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli and Umgungundlovu district mayor Mzi Zuma, launched the programme before his budget presentation. 'We are in the process of appointing a specialist automated road rehabilitation and pothole patching service provider to deliver a speedy means of pothole patching in strategic areas of our province. This exercise will contribute greatly towards the capitation and development of small contractors and employment of targeted labour.' A significant amount of the budget will be spent on repairing flood-damaged infrastructure, including the completion of rehabilitation projects in the Empangeni, Durban, Ladysmith Pietermaritzburg regions. Duma also revealed that upgrading freight and aviation networks in the province is among the key priorities for the department. He said they will work with national government and follow existing provincial policy initiatives to develop an effective freight transportation system to support economic growth in KwaZulu-Natal. The national department of transport divided Transnet Freight Rail into a Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), which will manage and maintain rail infrastructure, and Transnet Freight Rail Operating Company (TFROC) which will open the market to third parties. Duma said they will align themselves with this arrangement and will have a dedicated team working with the national department and other stakeholders to undertake this work. 'Undoubtedly, this arrangement will ensure revenue generation to fund the rehabilitation of the rail network.' He said his department had earmarked two railway branch lines to revive: one in Durban Metro and another in Dr Nkosazana Zuma local municipality. Regarding aviation, he said they have been working with economic development to assist regional airports to grow and be compliant with the regulations of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). He reiterated the importance of the transport and logistics sectors for the local economy and stated that the two major KZN KwaZulu-Natal ports, Richards Bay and Durban, were central to it. 'Both ports are economically strategic not only to KwaZulu-Natal but also to the national economy since they are linked to the economic heartland of South Africa, Gauteng, via our road infrastructure. 'The Port of Durban is also a transit point for cross-border container traffic for our neighbouring countries and a gateway to Southern Africa. The ports of Richards Bay and Durban are important contributors to international trade and significant enablers of South Africa's and the province's economic development.' He said the proposed bullet train between Durban and Gauteng will be an exciting development that will bridge the gap between the two provinces and added that the department will be part of a Freight Indaba with other key industry stakeholders.
