Agent facing axe over stop-start upgrading of the City’s rental units
THE City’s axe may soon fall on Aecom for ongoing problems related to the municipality’s Community Residential Unit Refurbishment (CRU) project.
Aecom – an implementing agent employed by the City to appoint building contractors – instructed its contractors to down tools in Manenberg two weeks ago.
The instruction came after the City refused to give Aecom additional time and money to complete the R200 million project to upgrade 7 700 of City’s rental units across Cape Town.
The City had approved an additional R40 million to pay for costs due to delays and vandalism after it had already spent in excess of R12 million on security.
Allegations that the notorious Hard Livings gang had been employed to manage security are still being investigated.
This after alleged corruption and gang-related activities have been hampering the project since its onset in 2008.
In Manenberg the project has been continuously halted since August last year.
Some families returned to their homes only recently after enduring nearly a year of living in shipping containers.
Mayco member for human settlements Benedicta van Minnen said Aecom issued an unauthorised “stop work order” and had withdrawn all security from Manenberg two weeks ago. This halted the project, which was in its final stage with only Dina Court to go, and resulted in flats being vandalised.
Last week, 24 families from Dina Court met with Van Minnen to express their concerns.
“The people cannot keep bearing the brunt of the City’s poor management of this project. Their service has been shoddy since the onset.
“We’ve been told there is a court case about funding; it’s not our problem. We want to know when we will be put back in our homes,” said community leader Albert Turner.
He added that residents are being forced to live in “putrid conditions” and are subjected to stagnant water, a lack of ablution facilities, leakages and rat infestation.
“The City has promised to ‘activate various departments’, but we are yet to see any action,” Turner concluded.
Van Minnen said: “The City is considering its options, including the termination of the contract of the implementing agent, Aecom.”
He added the City regrets the inconvenience caused, and intends to investigate the reasons for the delays.
“The City is concerned about the safety and well-being of these families and will not hesitate to take action against any parties who have contributed to the delays.
Meanwhile, the City has received a Govan Mbeki Award in the category for the best CRU project in SA for work done in Kewtown, where 320 flat units have been upgraded.
The award was made last week.
“I could not be more proud of this achievement. The Kewtown project went beyond its primary objective of merely upgrading the old buildings. It also contributed significantly to the restoration of a sense of pride and dignity in this vulnerable community.
“We are indeed making progress possible by working together,” Van Minnen said.