President Cyril Ramaphosa has given the green light for a probe into a R290 million tender which failed to result in the much-needed refurbishment of the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works in Tshwane.
Water quality in the metro became a grim focus of public attention in May this year when more than 20 people died in a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal.
News24 reports that the multimillion-rand tender, linked to controversial businessman Edwin Sodi, will now be probed in an effort to recover millions of rand for a botched project that will cost the Tshwane Municipality R4 billion to fix.
Ramaphosa signed a proclamation on 12 September directing the Special Investigating Unit to probe a R290 million tender awarded for the refurbishment of the wastewater treatment plant, all businesses associated with the tender, and municipal officials involved in awarding it.
The proclamation states the investigation will probe ‘any unauthorised, irregular or fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by the Tshwane Municipality or the state in respect of tender number USD WS 30-2017/18 for the construction of phase 1 upgrades and urgent refurbishment at the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works’.
[Image: rony michaud from Pixabay]