THE Limpopo local government and housing department has recovered more than R3million from contractors who left RDP houses unfinished.

This earned the department accolades as the best from 10 department, at the annual Premier Service Excellence Awards.

The event took place at a glittering ceremony in the Bolivia Lodge, Polokwane, on Monday night.

The awards honour and recognise public servants who go beyond the call of duty to deliver good quality services to the citizens of Limpopo.

The department had also delivered beyond its target by completing more than 16400 houses that were left incomplete and abandoned by contractors in the last financial year.

The department had set itself the target of completing 13000 houses in the last financial year. It met this target and built a further 3500 houses.

The department had also terminated the services of contractors who left RDP houses unfinished.

MEC Soviet Lekganyane said yesterday that his department had also taken legal action against contractors who had abandoned projects and those who defrauded the department.

Premier Cassel Mathale said the department's project had benefited more than 90000 people who previously had no shelter or shared a one-roomed shack or mud house with other family members.