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The Gauteng Legislature is considering filing criminal charges against provincial officials from the Department of Infrastructure Development and Property Management (IDPM) and a contractor involved in the construction of a school in a flooded area in Tembisa.
The decision was agreed unanimously during a joint meeting of the legislature’s Portfolio Committees on Infrastructure Development and Property Management and Education on Thursday.
“The committee is currently in the process of consulting the legal team of the legislature to determine the legalities of such a measure,” said the chairman of the Infrastructure Development Portfolio Committee, Mpho Modise, in a statement.
Both committees further agreed that a letter should be written to Prime Minister David Makhura requesting that he launch an investigation that will lead to disciplinary action against the officials, who were responsible for overseeing the construction of the school.
During a recent supervisory visit to Mayibuye Elementary School, the committee assessed the level and quality of work done by contractors on infrastructure development projects in the province.
“The multi-million dollar school, which was supposed to be occupied in 2017, stands tall like a white elephant after the department was unable to obtain a certificate of occupancy due to the dangerous conditions in which the school was built,” Modise said. .
To date, the department has spent R82 million on the school.
The committee established that the school was built in contravention of National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103, 1977, as amended.
In its evaluation of the school, the committee concluded that the occupation of the school could be a death trap for students and educators, as the wetland has the potential to weaken the structure of the building, which could collapse over who occupy it.
“This could leave the government with only two options: spend more millions to remedy the situation or demolish the building, as it is considered dangerous for the occupation, and prevent the building from being used as a haven for criminals or illegal land invaders.
This would mean that the millions of rands invested in the construction of the school have been wasted, ”Modise said.
Upon entering the school, Modise said the committee was greeted by untreated sewage with an unbearable odor, which has also become a health hazard for passersby and the surrounding community.
The school’s structure continues to deteriorate, with many defects including collapsed roofs, cracked tiles and walls, as well as flooding around the school, which has been unoccupied and neglected for more than three years.
The committee believes that appropriate action should be taken against those who were involved in the waste caused by the construction of a school on a flooded site. If the proper measures are not taken, the wrong message will be sent about the lack of responsibility and consequence management in the province.
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