Some of the 21 persons earmarked to become traders of the Namatsegang Piggery enterprise in the Thaba Nchu Felloane Trust have since died, while survivors watch their hopes dissipate as construction material rot in the sun. Set up seven years ago, the project is regarded a complete disaster that has harmed any potential of entrepreneurship.
The piggery project is among the numerous monuments of wasted millions in tax money in the Free State, ranked third nationally in terms of unemployed (45,1%), behind the Eastern Cape (49,7%) and the North West (54,2%). The province’s delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) visited the piggery project, as well as other incompleted government-funded infrastructure, from 16 to 20 September. The NCOP embarked on oversight visits to unfinished projects under the theme: “Confronting the challenges facing the timely delivery of viable public infrastructure to communities”.
Run-down, abandoned construction materials are all that remains of the enterprise project located in ward 41 of the Mangaung Metro. Part of the pieces of evidence left in a trail of wasted money is a steel container also abandoned by the company awarded the tender.
According to a June 2017 report of the Mangaung Metro, R1,2 million was budgeted, with the contractor awarded the bid on 6 May 2016.
It was initiated shortly after the local government election in 2016, during the tenure of former executive mayor Olly Mlamleli, who was unceremoniously ousted in August 2020. The project has been fraught with controversies over the alleged non-payment of workers and legal disputes. The contractor, reportedly, abandoned the project without paying wages to the seven labourers.
Mlamleli had blamed a legal dispute and financial hiccups for the lack of progress, and further the promise to complete in the following financial year, through the appointment of an architect and project manager from the panel of services, failed. A quote of R590 001 was reportedly submitted, which would cover the cost for construction of a fully-fledged piggery structure.
The DA sharply criticised the Mangaung Metro’s authority regarding the lack of consequence management in the piggery project. Other incomplete projects worth millions are the water project in Botshabelo, the Parkweg Police Station in Bloemfontein, the Mangaung Dark City housing project, and construction of the Tweespruit-Excelsior Road.
“Incomplete projects are widespread throughout the province and not limited to the municipalities. The DA will hold the responsible officials accountable through the submission of questions and motions to the relevant government spheres to ensure these failures are rectified,” said Igor Scheurkogel, DA member of the NCOP.
