Central SA
Free State premier warned not to meddle in Qwaqwa road project─── ZENANDE MPAME 15:20 Wed, 09 Oct 2024
“The recruitment process for these road projects was done in an open and transparent manner.”
Local subcontractors can benefit from a Qwaqwa road project scheduled to start in November.
“The road project will create job opportunities for 1,020 local citizens, mostly youth, females, and people living with disability, and empower local businesses,” Free State premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae told hundreds of Maluti-a-Phofung residents in the Phuthaditjhaba multi-purpose centre on Tuesday (8/10).
She was joined by Infrastructure MEC Jabu Mbalula on a visit to the ongoing provincial road construction projects around Qwaqwa, vowing lawlessness wouldn’t be allowed. “The community of Qwaqwa must benefit, and therefore, we aren’t going to allow people to muscle in on these projects. The so-called construction mafia will not be allowed to disrupt us.”
Free State MEC of Infrastructure Jabu Mbalula. Photo: Facebook/Free State provincial government
In total, 44.7km of road will undergo rehabilitation when the project starts on Friday, 1 November, entailing patching, resealing, and paving in 27 wards. Even though a date has been set for all six projects, subcontractors and local community members recruited have yet to start.
“In her address, Letsoha-Mathae showcased a few contractors, with others absent, and made extravagant promises of appointments and even jobs within her office and the infrastructure department,” said MaP DA Chief Whip Moshe Lefuma.
“She further declared that those who didn’t vote would be excluded from future government projects. These kinds of promises are dangerous, as they often remain unfulfilled, leading to frustration and conflict within the community.”
The DA has witnessed these political tactics before, most notably from Ace Magashule. Letsoha-Mathae must desist from such actions and allow due process to take its course, free from political meddling, said Lefuma.
The DA in MaP said they will be closely monitoring this project to ensure that the promise of the project starting in November is kept and that the people of Qwaqwa see the benefits they were promised.
The premier, however, warned against interference regarding the recruitment as she had received reports about community liaison officers and some ward councillors who attempted to interfere with that process.
