Question NW2522 to the Minister of Public Works

Reply:

Yes, the dolomite risk management programme in the Department of Public Works is in place. Due to a considerable amount of assets built on dolomite land, the department has established a Dolomite Risk Management Unit (DRMU), which is mandated to monitor the dolomitic conditions of these areas. The DRMU is, among others, responsible for monitoring the department’s facilities constructed on dolomite land, to classify the dolomitic status for every greenfield and brownfield project and to monitor the designs and construction of projects executed on land underlain by dolomite formations to ensure compliance with standards and specifications.

The DRMU has a full time Dolomite Specialist Consultant appointed for a period of three years, whose tasks comprise of the monitoring and investigation of reported and urgent dolomite incidences. The consultant is also responsible for surveying and conducting integrity inspections of current infrastructure (especially wet services) to ensure that deteriorated infrastructure with a high likelihood of causing subsidence and sinkholes is proactively replaced. The Department is also in a process of finalising the appointment of an emergency contractor (after the previous contract had expired in the previous financial year), who will assist in addressing emergency dolomite-related requests. In the previous financial year, a total of R2.2 million was spent on dolomite-related professional consultancy fees for monitoring, investigations, and issuing of technical specifications for the repair of already occurred and reported dolomite incidences. This represents 93% of the R2.4 million allocation for the 2017/2018 financial year. A total of R118 million was spent on preventative and remedial dolomite capital and maintenance projects. This represents 105% of the R112 million allocation for the 2017/2018 financial year.

In the current financial year, a total of R127 million has been allocated for dolomite related projects and services, which include the professional consultancy services for the specialist consultant, emergency construction services, and preventative capital projects. About R55 million of this allocation has already been spent. Most of the preventative projects are concentrated in the City of Tshwane area covering Thaba Tshwane, Centurion, Waterkloof and Swartkop. There are however, other projects implemented across the Gauteng Province, which include Lenasia (Westonaria), Katlehong (Ekurhuleni), Olifantsfontein (Ekurhuleni), Carletonville (Merafong), KwaThema (Ekurhuleni), Protea (Johannesburg) and Dobsonville (Johannesburg). In the coming financial year of 2018/2019, the department is planning on continuing to strengthen its dolomite risk management programme by, among others, strengthening the DRMU through the recruitment of suitably qualified and experienced persons to carry-out the mandate of the unit, and prioritisation of more preventative capital and maintenance projects with more focus on the Thaba Tshwane and Centurion areas.