Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says he has appointed a forensic investigator to look into allegations of fraud and corruption in the construction of the R2-billion Mangaung Integrated Public Transport Network that has since ground to a halt.
Work on the public transport network project kicked off in 2019, but came to an abrupt end hardly a year later when the main contractor moved off site citing budgetary issues and other complications with the municipality.
Mbalula, who was on a fact-finding mission in Mangaung, said the investigation will not interfere with the project which he wants completed by October.
“They will do the work without fear or favour,” Mbalula told journalists on Tuesday.
“They will start with the buses, they will go to the infrastructure . . . then bring the report and the report will be processed.
“Where there are corruption allegations, they will be forwarded to the Hawks, they will be forwarded to ID (Investigating Directorate) to help with the investigations.
“They will also be forwarded to SIU (Special Investigating Unit).
“We are on top of the situation – the real work has actually started.”
Mbalula said the people of Mangaung have been waiting for the bus service for a long time to no avail.
He said metros like Johannesburg, Tshwane and Cape Town had successful rollouts and he would like to see the same happening in Mangaung.
He expressed hope that the problems encountered by the Free State capital will be uncovered by the investigation and that the project was getting the necessary interventions so that it resumes.
“Moshoeshoe Road in Mangaung has been mired with challenges – its users have been repeatedly asking the municipality to address them,” the minister said.
“The work here that stopped needs to resume and be completed,” he added.
“The current projection is that it will be done and operational by October.
“But we think we can get it back before October.”
Mbalula described it as unfortunate and disastrous that a publicly funded project aimed at turning Mangaung into a smart city had been stopped.
However, a confident Mangaung executive mayor, Mxolisi Siyonzana, is quoted by the SABC as saying the project will be completed sooner.
It’s not clear how the project will be resuscitated and completed in just three months given that there is no contractor on site presently.
“I had a meeting with my team two weeks ago and I asked them what’s happening on Moshoeshoe Road,” said Siyonzana.
“They told me that the contractor who was contracted to build the road . . . the contract has come to an end.
“As we speak, we are going to make sure that the Moshoeshoe Road is completed by the end of September or October.” – Staff Reporter