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By Wednesday the municipal swimming pool was still being emptied.

Pool project to count as another blunder?

Date: 28 August 2015 By: Isabel Venter

Allegations of shoddy workmanship are rife regarding the R500 000 contract for the refurbishment of the Makhado municipal swimming pool. The municipality, however, remains tight-lipped regarding these allegations, fuelling perceptions that this project will also go down as another contract blunder at the expense of the taxpayer.

When the newspaper visited the pool on Wednesday, it was greeted by a dismal sight.

On Monday, residents noticed megalitres of swimming-pool water just streaming down Anderson Street. On Wednesday, pumps could still be heard, whirring away as the pool was being emptied.

The newspaper was also able to confirm on Wednesday that the pool is completely empty, after it was forced to make alternative arrangements for a photo. The Makhado Municipality had given strict instructions to their security guards at the pool that no photographs were allowed. This came to light when the newspaper visited the pool at the end of July to follow up on the progress of the rehabilitation work being done. During that time, municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi confirmed telephonically that an official opening for the swimming pool was scheduled to take place on 1 September this year.

The rehabilitation project was officially launched by the town’s mayor, Cllr David Mutavhatsindi, on 20 May 2014. At that stage, it was also announced that the work was scheduled to be completed by 30 June 2014. According to the appointed contractor he was experiencing a delay in the acquisition of specific types of materials to be used.

The contractor, Harold Moswobi Construction and Property Developers, received close to R500 000 for their work on the swimming pool. This should have included the fixing of cracks and the retiling of the surface.

The newspaper heard from a confidential source close to the project that the reason the pool was emptied this week was to redo the botched-up resurfacing and tiling work. Furthermore, the newspaper was able to confirm that the municipality spent an additional R600 000 on the rehabilitation project.

Information on the pool project is, however, a closely kept secret by the municipality. When questioned this week, Bobodi did not specifically deny the allegations of sub-standard workmanship on the pool. He simply answered the newspaper’s question by saying that the pool was still going to open in September 2015.

Pressured for further details, specifically as to why the pool had been emptied this week, Bobodi said “it [the pool] is being cleaned and everything will be ready for the 1st of September.”

Allegations that extra money was spent on the project were denied. “There were no extra costs,” said Bobodi in an email.

In the meantime, the steering committee, consisting of representatives from High School Louis Trichardt and other members of the broader Louis Trichardt community, was hesitant to comment. The committee has been involved in the rehabilitation programme from the start, in the hope to get the swimming pool open and ready for sporting events and galas. According to Mr Tobias Fourie, representing High School Louis Trichardt, they were in a meeting with the municipality to discuss the final details of the project.  

The Zoutpansberger is still following up on the story and will hopefully receive more information regarding the project by Friday.

 
 
 

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Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

 
 

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