DURBAN - OPPOSITION party councillors in eThekwini have warned the municipality not to pay contractors that invade sites and build without permission.
The parties said if these contractors were paid, the city ran the risk of having more sites being invaded and being billed for work it did not authorise.
The DA and the EFF led the charge, warning the council that it was setting the wrong precedent by not sanctioning companies that invaded sites and entertaining the claims they had put forward for work they were not authorised to do.
The issue came up during a full council meeting yesterday as councillors discussed paying R6.9 million to consultants to assess what work was done by companies, without the city’s approval, on ablution facilities servicing some of the city’s residents.
At least two contractors took it on themselves to “renovate” some of the city’s ablution facilities without there being a contract in place, and then billed the city.
The issue first emerged at an executive committee meeting earlier this month and was finalised by the full council during a meeting yesterday.
The matter went down to a vote, with the EFF and the DA objecting to the payment, but the resolution was approved and the council resolved to approve the R6.9m payment.
DA councillor Nicole Graham said by agreeing to such a situation, the city was opening the door to similar claims.
“This is being put in a nice way, but what has happened here is that we are paying for work that was done by unauthorised contractors, and behind the backs of the officials.
“It would be like me building speed humps in front of my house and thereafter billing the municipality for those speed humps,” she said.
“In this item we are not paying for the work that has been done but paying consultants to assess what work has been done. If we agree to this, we are likely to see other similar claims,” she said.
EFF councillor Vukani Ndlovu said the city should not pay the contractors for invading the site.
“The city should not pay the contractor and if the officials of the municipality were involved in this, they should face the consequences.”
Ndlovu said the question that should be asked is: “What gives the contractors permission to invade the site and then turn around and demand payment from the municipality?”
He reiterated Graham’s concerns that the move by the city to assess the work was setting the wrong precedent.
Ndlovu said contractors looking for work should follow the normal process of bidding for available work.
IFP councillor Mdu Nkosi said the IFP has gone out to assess the condition of the ablution facility and said such facilities needed to be maintained in order to protect the dignity of the people that use them.
EThekwini deputy mayor Philani Mavundla said people should avoid speaking from a position of privilege and should consider what those who need the facilities go through.
He said when it came to such matters, the situation was often dire as in some cases there were 500 individuals using two toilets.
THE MERCURY