In a classic case of “wrong place, wrong time,” ActionSA caucus chief whip in Johannesburg, Zark Lebatlang, has criticised transport MMC Kenny Kunene for a fictitious R180-million tender scandal that never occurred in Johannesburg.
Lebatlang demands that Kunene reveal the procedures used in selecting the new Bree Street contractor.
The dramatic statement, issued on Monday, raises alarm bells about transparency and accountability. And also on the Johannesburg Road Agency’s (JRA’s) procurement processes. Th statement claims that a R180-million tender had been awarded to a company with a “dodgy background” and “no tax clearance”.
Phantom scandal
“This situation raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and the effectiveness of the JRA’s procurement processes,” Lebatlang said in the statement.
Lebatlang’s concerns would have been valid — if only the story he referred to actually related to Johannesburg. However, Sunday World can reveal that the phantom scandal Lebatlang referenced was about a tender in Limpopo, not Johannesburg.
Sunday World published the article that sparked Lebatlang’s outrage on July 30, 2023. It was about a public works, roads, and infrastructure project in Limpopo. This is where hundreds of millions of rands allegedly disappeared.
A lack of accountability led to public outrage, but none of this had anything to do with Bree Street.
Social media frenzy
Following a weekend Sunday World story titled “Bree Street to nowhere as JRA and contractor fight,” social media detectives linked the old Limpopo scandal poster to the Bree Street contract, creating a whirlwind of misinformation.
Documents seen by Sunday World also confirmed that the JRA only appointed Step Up Engineering on December 1, 2023. This was four months post the Limpopo debacle.
Step Up Engineering recently received a termination letter from the JRA, which they promptly rejected. They blamed the JRA’s internal chaos, like late payments. In an interview last week, Kunene himself backed them up.
But on Monday, Lebatlang called for Bree Street to be declared a disaster zone. This he said, ws to prevent further delays and avoid future tender shenanigans. He barraged Kunene with an impressive list of questions. Among them he was asking about bidding processes, tender advertisements, public participation, and company vetting.
He lamented the deteriorating infrastructure and increasing crime. The ActionSA leader cast the inner city’s corridors as lawless wastelands where businesses struggle and commuters weep.
ActionSA demands answers
“ActionSA will not sit back and allow the City of Johannesburg to be reduced into a crime scene by those who have no interest in rebuilding it,” he said
He added that “despite repeated changes in contractors and the hiring of those who fail to meet minimum requirements, residents continue to suffer from deteriorating infrastructure”.
He said the corridors had become crime hotspots, and local businesses are facing increasing challenges.
“Additionally, mobility in the inner city has been severely impacted. This with traffic disruptions and worsening road conditions exacerbating daily commutes,” said Lebatlang.
