Staff reporter
Bloemfontein – The Department of Community Safety, Roads and Transport in Free State has embarked on pothole patching albeit with question marks all over the tender.
While many can attest the Free State province has the biggest and most dangerous potholes since mankind, even an ambulance ferrying a nine-month-old overturned after hitting a pothole in April last year.
There is a video of the road between North West and Free State where you can see how vast the road surfaces are as soon as the driver enters Free State.
The department became a joke when it posted pictures of a car alleged un-roadworthy during a road safety campaign with MEC Maqueen Mathae next to it, posing, not even five meters from her there were giant potholes with netizens saying the road itself was not roadworthy.
Step Up has it in good authority that the department has awarded the Central University of Technology (CUT) a tender to train at least 600 youth to learn how to patch potholes.
According to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity there was no bidding and CUT got the job. The training, according to sources starts with practical work and theory towards the end.
It’s not clear when the training will end but definitely before elections.
The entire project in total is estimated at R660 million including the real work of patching potholes, material and consulting companies, etc.
It alleged this project was rejected by the previous head of the department on the basis that it had not been tested before but somehow, it was in motion without being tested.
The EPWP projects seem to be a lucrative business as they seem to go well under the radar but it’s not our job to investigate.
We have at least 5 reports of controversial deals from Social Development, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Public Works, and Infrastructure and maybe it’s time the HAWKS visit these departments.
Hilary Mophethe, spokesperson for Community Safety, Roads and Transport did not respond to our questions.
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