PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - An intended visit to the Qolweni housing site, a project that led to violent protest action just over a week ago, has been cancelled by the Western Cape MEC for Human Settlements Tertuis Simmers following new Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
The site visit with the community and a meeting with the Bitou Council were scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday 29 June, but as a result of the announcement of new adjusted Level 4 regulations on Sunday, it has been postponed until further notice.
The meeting with the council will now be held virtually.
The visit was scheduled following a five-day-long riot in Plettenberg Bay that saw the national road closed between 14 and 18 June. The community was dissatisfied with the lack of progress in the Qolweni housing project and demanded that the R33,5-million project be handed over to Simmers’ department.
Simmers explained that the action was sparked by delays in the development, which was approved in October 2019 and set to get underway in January this year.
The Bitou Municipality appointed Ukhana Projects as the contractor for the development in December 2020 and the site was handed over to the contractor on 25 January 2021.
The first set of delays came soon after when residents had to be relocated. Simmers said the relocation plan incomplete and in some cases “unworkable”.
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This was further complicated by "push back and lack of cooperation from some sectors in the community who refused to cooperate and virtually halted the process", he said.
"The community pressurised the municipality to accelerate the process, which also contributed to the premature site handover. The supply of materials for the Temporary Residential Areas (TRAs) by the municipality also had challenges, and processes had to be revised, which also contributed to the premature site handover.
"The supply of materials for the Temporary Residential Areas (TRAs) by the municipality also had challenges, and processes had to be revised,” Simmers said.
In April this year, Simmers' department was informed that the Bitou Municipality had terminated the contract with Ukhana.
"This termination is being disputed by the contractor, and this has resulted in a stalemate between the municipality and the contractor." Municipal Manager Lonwabo Ngoqo requested the department to intervene in the dispute, which it did, but with little success. Despite advice to reach an amicable settlement agreement, Ukhana opted to approach the courts for relief.
On Friday 18 June, Simmers met with the Bitou Council and it was agreed that the project would be transferred to his department.
Simmers then met with the community on the N2 where he informed them of the decision. However, the community then added further demands to their list, requesting that work on the project get back on track within two weeks. Simmers indicated that he would be back in Plett on 29 June to ensure that the project was gaining momentum.
Previous articles:
- Temporary truce in Plett riot
- N2 set to reopen 5 days into rioting in Plett
- MEC meets Qolweni protesters
- Human settlements MEC to visit Plett about Qolweni riots
- Bitou's abiding battlefield
- Attempts being made to appease protesting Qolweni residents
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