'Millions wasted': Lesseyton sports field not built to spec, says public protector
Public protector Kholeka Gcaleka released the report on the findings of the investigation into allegations of improper conduct and maladministration by functionaries of the municipality relating to the construction of Lesseyton sports field in 2018.
The Lesseyton sports field gained national notoriety in October 2021 after its unveiling was posted on social media and users immediately began questioning whether its R15m price tag constituted value for money.
According to the specification dated March 9 2018, the construction was supposed to include the construction of a grassed athletic track, soccer/rugby field, netball, tennis and volleyball courts and grandstands. However, these facilities have not been constructed.
Investigations found that the soccer/rugby field was not constructed according to the specifications and the electricity has not been connected.
In the investigation, Gcaleka observed that the ward councillor signed the completion certificates and accepted the construction of the sports field as satisfactory, despite the municipality not receiving any value for money.
According to the findings, the total amount of the awarded bid exceeded the budgeted amount of R18.7m that was approved by the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) in the 2017/18 financial year. The awarded tender exceeded the budgeted amount by more than R4.7m without evidence that the municipality sought additional funding or approval from the municipal council, as required under the Municipal Finance Management Act.
Further, the report found that the tender advertisement had two different closing dates and was not placed on three different publicly accessible platforms as required by the municipal supply chain management policy.
The advertisement period for the tender was shortened from 30 days to 14 days, and the reason provided was that the construction of the sports field was an emergency.
Gcaleka found that the municipality's definition of emergency in this regard was not in line with the definition in terms of the municipal supply chain management policy.
The evidence suggests that two bid evaluation processes took place with the first process resulting in the first bidder being the preferred bidder, whereas the second process used a different formula provided by the bid adjudication committee and culminated in Thalami Civils, which was the fourth-highest scoring bidder, winning the tender.
She also found that the allegations of irregularities in the management of the contract and a lack of proper oversight on the construction project by the local and provincial governments, resulting in no value for money paid, were substantiated.
The public protector observed that the ward councillor signed the completion certificates and accepted the construction of the sports field as satisfactory when the municipality did not get any value for money as evident in this investigation.
Gcaleka recommended that the municipal manager of the municipality ensure the reconstruction of the Lesseyton Sports Field in accordance with the bid specifications dated March 9 2018.
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