Although the water crisis continues to be a thorn in the side of Durban and its environs, the eThekwini Municipality has condemned the illegal closure of water supply depots by contractors.
The Municipality says this action prevents council employees from being able to do their jobs, and this disrupts the supply of water to the public.
The eThekwini Municipality Manager, Mr. Musa Mbhele, during his address to the Executive Committee (EXCO), said the decision to review the method of hiring contractors was made based on the findings of Mcwaningi Mabuku, who revealed that the method of awarding contracts to previous contractors was done without following the proper procedures.
“As directed by the City Auditor, the City has reviewed the contractor hiring process using a new system called the Contractor Infrastructure Panel (CIP) to manage the pipeline construction work. Although some contractors are challenging the system in court, temporary measures have been put in place under the CIP Management contract system to ensure that the work continues.”
“Some previous contractors have expressed dissatisfaction, saying that part of the contractors are in the same league as the city when they are not working as stakeholders under the appointed contractors. In addition to these complaints, the implementation of the new system is ongoing. In the Northern Region, recruitment has been completed and work is ongoing,” said Mbhele.
The Chief Technical Services Officer, Mr Ednick Msweli, stressed that the disagreement is largely related to the implementation of the new recruitment model. He added that the payment rates have not changed compared to the previous model, with small employers working under contract managers receiving a 15% administrative fee approved by the City’s Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC).
Msweli also confirmed that the city remains committed to solving current challenges and ensuring that essential services are delivered without interruption to all areas.
