A project meant to upgrade a primary school in Ekurhuleni has left the facility without electricity and in a worse situation than it was before the upgrades began.
Craig Jansen, principal at the Lakeside Primary School in Boksburg, told TimesLIVE Premium of management’s joy when they were informed of the refurbishment. However, it has turned into a nightmare for teachers and pupils.
Speaking on the sidelines of the portfolio committee on infrastructure development meeting at the Boksburg Civic Centre, Jansen said the school is without electricity and the contractor replaced old quality material with lousy material.
“When you get into the school premises, it is just water on the sports field. Our school is about 45 years old. We have never had a problem with the doors. The contractor changed the doors and they have been there for three months, but they are falling apart.
“The contractor took good quality black boards in our classrooms and replaced them with bad quality ones. We can’t even write on those things. When the contractor came to our school, we had electricity but now we don’t and that is hampering teaching and learning.
“In our minds, we thought the refurbishment would give us a brand new school but we are worse off with the work that has been done here. Our community and pupils have been failed by the department in this project,” Jansen said.
The Gauteng department of education identified the school for refurbishment in the 2015/16 financial year.
Among the work that was supposed to be done at the school, was the refurbishment of 32 classrooms, the administration block, ablution blocks and electrical reticulation. The project included painting of the buildings, roof sheeting, fixing of the floors, fencing, paving the parking area, building the stormwater system and rehabilitation of the sports field.
As the implementer of provincial projects, the Gauteng department of infrastructure development handed over the site on December 2 2021. The project was supposed to be completed 12 months later at a cost of R40m. So far, R36m has been spent on the project.
But almost two years later, the Gauteng department of infrastructure development reported to the portfolio committee in the provincial legislature that the project is 97% complete.
Richard Tshabalala, project manager in the department, told the portfolio committee that the department was made aware of the defective works at the school.
We have recommended that the contractor, through his failure to complete the project, have his contract terminated so that we can get a contractor who can finish everything outstanding.
— Richard Tshabalala, Gauteng department of infrastructure development portfolio manager
He said this was communicated to the contractor “until January where we got stuck”.
“The contractor indicated that he was having challenges in terms of managing the small businesses involved in the project. We told the contractor to put that in writing and send it to the department. However, the contractor did not, but we had several meetings to try to resolve the issues. The contractor committed that he will finish everything before the end of July,” Tshabalala said.
He said the department wrote to the contractor notifying the company that the project was late and had defects.
“We have recommended that the contractor, through his failure to complete the project, have his contract terminated so that we can get a contractor who can finish everything outstanding. The termination is with our legal department,” Tshabalala said.
Tshabalala said the department anticipates that the contract will be terminated by November 24 and a new contractor will be appointed by December 8.
The value of the outstanding work at the school is R4m and it is expected to be completed on March 28 2024.
Lakeside Primary School is one of the top 10 most in demand primary schools based on applications to the Gauteng department of education for 2024 placements. It caters for children from Midrand, Boksburg, Vosloorus and even surrounding informal settlements.
Natasha Christoffels from Reiger Park, who has eight grandchildren at the school, said the delays have frustrated the community.
“It is upsetting to hear that our children are being failed by the department and contractors. This is the best primary school in the area. It is important that our children start sport at an early age. That school is good in rugby, cricket and athletics. We need to get them into those sports early, but they cannot do that because the sports field has not been fixed,” said Christoffels.
Chairperson of the portfolio committee Bones Modise said he is extremely concerned that the department of infrastructure development appoints companies who cannot deliver projects on time and in good quality.
“You begin to ask yourself whether these people who get contracts from the department or government are really equipped to do the work. We have said to the department of infrastructure, ‘go back and check what it is that the private sector is doing that we are not doing as government’. This will help us as lawmakers to propose what government must do. What type of contractors are we using that the private sector does not use?
“Clearly, government is doing something wrong,” said Modise.
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