The Portfolio Committee of Public Works and Infrastructure says it is concerned over recent findings by the Auditor General (AG) against the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).
During a recent briefing by the AG, it was revealed that a total of 107 Public Works projects had been delayed, at an accumulated cost of R3.9billion.
Of the 107, it was found that 63 of these projects had been delayed by more than three years.
These delays were largely due to poor contractor performance, the AG said, and this was preventing client departments from utilising the intended infrastructure.
The Public Works Committee expressed concern that not only had the department’s annual performance targets been missed, but that the achievements it reported were not accurate.
Although 86% of the DPWI’s budget had been spent on key service delivery programmes, just 20% of the planned targets had been achieved, the committee noted.
It said the department would need to take action against those construction companies that were not performing.
“The committee is expecting the department to report what it is doing to mitigate the shortcomings and improve its performance,” the Public Works Committee said in a statement on Tuesday.
It also criticised the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure for not being present at the AG’s briefing, to account for his department.
Further to that, the committee said it was unacceptable that millions of rand had been spent on Telkom Towers while the building remains unoccupied, and that millions of rand had been spent on the erection of a wall on the Kosi Bay border post that was left incomplete.
The committee said it planned to conduct oversight visits to the Telkom Towers and Salvokop government precinct on October 10.
The Mercury