The Department of Labour has brought the R400-million Durban University of Technology (DUT) construction project to a grinding halt.
Sunday World has, in the past weeks, painted a web of questionable procurement decisions and regulatory violations that have plagued the project.
This week, the publication was informed of the closure of the site resulting from the coverage that exposed that the current project consultant, BorCon, was most probably operating without a valid permit.
The shutdown represents the latest chapter in a scandal that has rocked the project and raised serious questions about governance at one of the country’s premier institutions of higher learning. And the exposé was followed by a slew of supposed further corrupt cover-ups.
Sources told Sunday World that BorCon was not in a position to acquire a valid working permit from the labour department because the company did not have the required CIDB level 8 to 9 classification, which is mandatory for projects valued at R70-million and above.
This fundamental requirement should have been verified before any contract was awarded, raising questions about the university’s due diligence
processes.
When asked to respond to questions, the DUT stated its previous position using the sub judice rule. “As previously mentioned, the matter you are referring to is sub judice; therefore, the university is not currently in a position to comment. The university is fully cooperating with the Department of Higher Education and Training on their request for information on the matter,” spokesperson Simangele Zuma said, though the matter is in arbitration, not in court.
Sunday World further understands the matter being arbitrated has nothing to do with the improper procurement practices.
The controversy deepens when examining how BorCon secured its lucrative position on the project. BorCon owner, Brad Boertjie, has maintained his silence since stating that his company was asked by DUT officials to complete the colossal project after the university terminated its previous contractors earlier this year.
Boertjie was then handed the fat and juicy R76-million contract without tender processes. This direct appointment bypassed standard procurement procedures designed to ensure transparency and value for money in public expenditure.
The two procurement officials who brought BorCon on board, Thabani Mhlongo and Siphelele Kweyama have yet to be questioned on their involvement.
Each referred Sunday World questions to the university. Council chairperson Wiseman Madinani dodged questions around allegations that some council members may have deliberately turned a blind eye.
The R400-million project, intended to enhance educational infrastructure, has instead become a symbol of institutional dysfunction.
The Department of Labour’s intervention represents a decisive moment that could force accountability where internal governance has seemingly failed.
The Department of Labour had yet to comment at the time of publication.
