THE MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Ntombizanele Sifuba, has conducted unannounced site visits to assess progress on key departmental construction projects in the Mangaung Metro Municipality and Mohokare Local Municipality.
Among the sites inspected were the Wepener Library and the Smithfield Multipurpose Sport Centre, both of which remain under construction.
The MEC Sifuba voiced her disappointment with the slow progress and issued a stern warning to contractors to adhere to contractual timelines.
“Failure to stick to the project timeframes will result in necessary penalties against the contractors,” she said during the inspections.
“No additional expenditure will be tolerated for construction delays caused by the contractor.
“We will not accept incomplete projects where taxpayers’ money is spent without delivering value for our people.”
The surprise visits are part of the MEC’s constitutional oversight mandate as the executive authority of the department.
Sifuba emphasised the importance of ensuring accountability and safeguarding public funds in delivering quality facilities for communities.
“We will continue these visits as part of our oversight role to ensure accountability and assess the value for money in all departmental projects,” she said.
“In addition to construction and refurbishment monitoring, we will also closely examine regulatory compliance, including local economic empowerment and participation of women, youth and people with disabilities.”
Sifuba’s hands-on approach underlines the department’s commitment to ensuring projects are completed on time and meet the required standards.
Contractors at the inspected sites have been put on notice to fulfil their obligations or face penalties for non-compliance. – Staff Reporter