Question NW477 to the Minister of Water and Sanitation
20 March 2024 - NW477
Montwedi, Mr Mk to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation
(1)Whether he will furnish Mr M K Montwedi with a list of all projects that were done and completed by his internal project management unit in the past five years; if not; what is the position in this regard; if so, (2) whether the project(s) were completed in time and within the allocated budget; if not, (a) what caused the delay and (b) how will he deal with the situation in future; if so, what are the further relevant details?
Reply:
1. The Infrastructure Management Branch within the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) completed the following projects in the past five years:
- Olifants River Water Resources Development Project – Phase 2A: De Hoop Dam in Limpopo
- Mdloti River Development project: Raising of Hazelmere Dam in Kwa-Zulu Natal
2. The construction of the Olifants River Water Resources Development Project – Phase 2A: De Hoop Dam was completed in time with expenditure of 101% at completion. The 1% over expenditure is due to cost escalations.
The raising of Hazelmere Dam Project experienced delays and cost overruns. The project was not completed in the initial planned time and within the original budget. Project was completed in March 2023.
a) Various challenges resulted in delays in the project implementation, but the major delays are attributed to issues arising from contractual matters, contractual disputes and delays due to technical aspects. This led to the termination of the contract between the DWS and the contractor which was eventually resolved but impacted the project implementation timelines, however, construction works did recommence and was completed.
b) To address the challenges encountered during project implementation, alternative project capacitation is being explored with the Department as well as the implementation of a new procurement policy which aims to enhance the DWS's capability to select service providers with the requisite capacity and skills to successfully execute projects within stipulated timelines and budgets.
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