ActionSA is deeply outraged by the ongoing failure, suspected cronyism, and blatant financial mismanagement surrounding the Nelson Mandela Drive Bridge project in Polokwane.
What was meant to be a critical piece of public infrastructure has instead degenerated into an apparent R70 million “cash cow” for politically connected individuals, leaving the residents of Polokwane to bear the brunt of delayed development. The project, which commenced in 2021 with an initial budget of R50 million, has seen its costs balloon to over R70 million.
Despite this massive injection of public funds, the bridge remains less than 50% complete. This catastrophic failure is a direct result of a revolving door of contractors, with the current appointed contractor, allegedly a close friend of the Polokwane Mayor, being the fourth since the project’s inception.
Even more disturbing are reports that this contractor has abruptly vanished from the site, leaving local labourers and subcontractors completely unpaid for their hard work. Despite these blatant red flags, no corrective action has been taken by the municipality, nor has there been any attempt to blacklist the delinquent contractors. This points to a deeply entrenched culture of protecting politically aligned insiders at the expense of accountability and public service delivery.
To address this crisis and restore integrity to the municipality’s expenditure, ActionSA demands an immediate independent forensic audit into the procurement processes, specifically focusing on the appointment of all four successive contractors and a detailed financial reconciliation of how the R70 million was spent.
Furthermore, we demand the immediate blocklisting of these failed contractors from ever doing business with the state again, alongside urgent municipal intervention to ensure that the exploited local labourers and subcontractors receive their outstanding wages without delay. Finally, the Mayor must publicly account for their alleged personal relationship with the vanished contractor and explain how a R50 million project was allowed to stall while over-allocating R20 million in public funds.
ActionSA will not sit idly by while the hard-earned money of Polokwane taxpayers is funnelled into the pockets of connected elites. We will utilise all available council mechanisms to ensure those responsible for this failure are held legally and financially accountable. Polokwane deserves a government that builds bridges to connect communities, not to line the pockets of friends.
ActionSA Demands Immediate Forensic Audit and Accountability Over Polokwane’s R70 Million Nelson Mandela Drive Bridge Failure
ActionSA is deeply outraged by the ongoing failure, suspected cronyism, and blatant financial mismanagement surrounding the Nelson Mandela Drive Bridge project in Polokwane.
What was meant to be a critical piece of public infrastructure has instead degenerated into an apparent R70 million “cash cow” for politically connected individuals, leaving the residents of Polokwane to bear the brunt of delayed development. The project, which commenced in 2021 with an initial budget of R50 million, has seen its costs balloon to over R70 million.
Despite this massive injection of public funds, the bridge remains less than 50% complete. This catastrophic failure is a direct result of a revolving door of contractors, with the current appointed contractor, allegedly a close friend of the Polokwane Mayor, being the fourth since the project’s inception.
Even more disturbing are reports that this contractor has abruptly vanished from the site, leaving local labourers and subcontractors completely unpaid for their hard work. Despite these blatant red flags, no corrective action has been taken by the municipality, nor has there been any attempt to blacklist the delinquent contractors. This points to a deeply entrenched culture of protecting politically aligned insiders at the expense of accountability and public service delivery.
To address this crisis and restore integrity to the municipality’s expenditure, ActionSA demands an immediate independent forensic audit into the procurement processes, specifically focusing on the appointment of all four successive contractors and a detailed financial reconciliation of how the R70 million was spent.
Furthermore, we demand the immediate blocklisting of these failed contractors from ever doing business with the state again, alongside urgent municipal intervention to ensure that the exploited local labourers and subcontractors receive their outstanding wages without delay. Finally, the Mayor must publicly account for their alleged personal relationship with the vanished contractor and explain how a R50 million project was allowed to stall while over-allocating R20 million in public funds.
ActionSA will not sit idly by while the hard-earned money of Polokwane taxpayers is funnelled into the pockets of connected elites. We will utilise all available council mechanisms to ensure those responsible for this failure are held legally and financially accountable. Polokwane deserves a government that builds bridges to connect communities, not to line the pockets of friends.