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R220m road to nowhere - Public works losing R180‚000 every day due to protesters

Taxpayers will shell out R7-million in penalties and wages for an Eastern Cape road construction project where no work has taken place since September last year.

This would be the contract amount that would have to be paid even if the road is not completed‚ as well as the penalties and wages.

The company was appointed to resurface a 17km stretch of road which joins to the R61 near Port St Johns. The new road will connect Isilimela Hospital to Port St Johns.

One of the road workers‚ Xolile Mbelentshe‚ said: “We have not been working for three weeks now after being stopped by people in the area. They [residents] all wanted to be employed in this project.”

He said it was their first day back on site on Thursday. But tensions remain.

Roads and public works department spokesman Mphumzi Zuzile said troubles had started in September when villagers started blockading the road‚ demanding to be employed.

“We are worried because there’s a possibility that the company will pull out and we are going to lose millions of rands‚” Zuzile said.

The protests have seen cars stoned‚ pupils pulled out of school and road workers threatened.

Zuzile said that last week locals wielding pangas had demanded to be given jobs on the project and chased other workers from the site.

This was the latest of several confrontations.

He said the project had been at a total standstill since the start of the year.

The roads department now finds itself between a rock and a hard place as it must pay up to R180‚000 for each day of work lost.

The contract states that the department has a legal obligation to protect the company.

At least 42 days of work have been lost so far.

“We appeal to the community of Port St Johns to allow the company to work on site‚” Zuzile said.

Public works MEC Thandiswa Marawu had intervened and tried to resolve the impasse. Meetings were held with representatives from the Port St Johns Local Municipality‚ ANC regional structures and the community. This week Marawu met with traditional leaders‚ taxi associations and local businesses.

“They are going to benefit as well from this road‚” said Zuzile.

The spokesman said 200 locals were employed on the project and they stood to lose their jobs if the company withdrew.

He said police were monitoring the situation.

The project manager for HHO Africa Infrastructure Engineers in East London‚ Randall Dirks‚ referred questions to the provincial roads department.

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