Pretoria - The EFF in Tshwane is demanding answers from businessman Edwin Sodi regarding the R295 million tender that was awarded to him to upgrade the Rooiwal water treatment plant.
The project, which started in October 2019, has now allegedly been abandoned.
The failure of the project has contributed to the long standing water issues in Hammanskraal which has now escalated to a cholera crisis, claiming 17 lives and leading to more than 50 people being hospitalised.
On Wednesday, EFF councillors stormed the Tshwane House council chamber during a special council sitting -- which was meant to table a budget speech -- and demanded that mayor Cilliers Brink drink the dirty water “from Hammanskraal” which the party had brought in a 2-litre bottle.
EFF regional leader Obakeng Ramabodu said they also want Sodi to explain what happened to the money which was meant to upgrade the water plant.
“The ANC is guilty, they were responsible to deal with the issue of water and they failed. What have they done? They have taken R300m to Edwin Sodi. Edwin Sodi must tell us what happened, why we don’t have progress on the project of phase 1 in Rooiwal.
“The DA administration together with Sodi have taken the money of people in Hammanskraal and now people are dying...
“The money was taken by corrupt councillors of the DA and mayors together with the service providers,” Ramabodu said.
Sodi’s company, Blackhead Consulting, was awarded the tender in 2019 to refurbish the Rooiwal water treatment plant which experienced various challenges in the purification of waste water.
On Tuesday, ActionSA councillor Thabang Sebotsane told Newzroom Afrika that the contractor responsible for refurbishing the Rooiwal water treatment plant was grossly lacking in competence to conduct a contract of such magnitude.
“The contractor didn’t just lack the capacity, he also didn’t have the money to commence this contract…
“The City paid for site establishment, this is one of the contraventions of the City’s supply chain management ... About R71m was an upfront fee because he lacked resources.
“This was a joint venture of three entities -- all belonging to Edwin Sodi -- whose experience and name was never found among contractors who could accomplish this kind of work,” Sebotsane told the broadcaster.
An independent commission of inquiry into the Hammanskraal water crisis, appointed by ActionSA in 2021, found that the funds set aside for the upgrade of the Rooiwal water treatment plant, were missing.
Part of the findings in the report was that the process of awarding the tender was manifestly deficient in that the recipient was an amateur contractor and quoted a price much higher than other better qualified and more experienced bidders.
Sodi has also been implicated in the R255 million failed asbestos project in the Free State.
IOL