‘R2m JoJo tanks whistleblower misled the DA’ – public works

The Mpumalanga public works, roads and transport department has hit back at explosive claims that R2-million was spent on two JoJo tanks at a Carolina school, accusing the DA of relying on misleading information.

The department insists the widely circulated figure is incorrect and says the school principal cited in the allegations had no authority over payments, effectively dismissing the foundation of the DA’s claim.

Provincial spokesperson Bongani Dhlamini told Sunday World that the narrative of a principal refusing to sign off on a R2-million invoice is fundamentally flawed.

“The assertion that a school principal is responsible for signing off on invoices for infrastructure projects implemented by the department is incorrect,” said Dhlamini.

“All payments for such projects are verified and approved by appointed officials from the department of public works together with the department of education infrastructure unit.”

Dhlamini said this means the principal referenced by the DA could not have blocked or approved any payment, casting doubt on the version presented.

The department further rejected the headline figure itself, saying no such payment was made for the Carolina Academy School project.

“There is no record indicating that an amount of R2-million was paid for this specific project at Carolina Academy School,” he said.

Breakdown of the contract

Instead, Dhlamini provided a breakdown of the actual contract, which he said was significantly lower and covered a far broader scope of work than what has been suggested.

“The contractor, KZK General Trading, was initially appointed for an amount of R363 191.00,” he said. “Following a revision of the bill of quantities (BoQ) to accommodate the actual scope of work required on site, the project value was adjusted to R762 645.10.”

According to Dhlamini, the project extended beyond water tanks and formed part of broader Covid-19 infrastructure upgrades at the school.

“The scope of work extended far beyond the installation of water tanks and included sanitation, plumbing, structural work and security features,” he said.

He said this included the replacement of 24 toilets; installation of basins and urinals, piping, doors, and a palisade fence; and the equipping of a borehole, alongside the installation of two 5,000-litre water tanks.

“The contractor submitted a single claim in line with the approved revised BoQ, amounting to R762 645.45, which was processed and paid on September 9, 2020,” Dhlamini said.

He added that the R2 million figure cited by the DA appears to be a conflation of multiple projects.

“It is confirmed that the total amount of R2 158 520.73 referenced relates to three separate projects, namely Umtulwana, Umzimvelo and Carolina Academy,” he said.

“These projects were executed independently, each with its own approved scope of work and budget allocation.”

DA wants premier to investigate

Dhlamini warned that contractors cannot simply inflate invoices beyond approved limits due to existing financial controls.

“Contractors cannot claim amounts exceeding the approved project allocation as per the contractual and financial control systems in place,” he said.

The department has now cautioned against what it describes as the spread of unverified claims.

“We caution against the dissemination of unverified and misleading information, which creates unnecessary public alarm and undermines ongoing efforts to deliver critical infrastructure to communities,” Dhlamini said.

The DA has since written to Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu to investigate the tender in question.

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