DG defends controversial Beitbridge border fence

Although it is being vandalised daily, the Director-General of Public Works & Infrastructure Sam Vukela told MPs that the Beitbridge border fence – erected as an emergency measure to curb the spread of Covid-19 – was serving its purpose. ‘Yes, we can confirm that it is serving the purpose because we did so in compliance with the needs of the client and we have not heard any contrary view that it is not serving. We are satisfied that it is serving the purpose,’ said Vukela. He was responding to questions by MPs as to whether the department believed the R37m fence was money well spent, notes a TimesLIVE report. Vukela said this despite his boss, Minister Patricia de Lille, telling the same meeting of Scopa that her department's senior management team was getting daily reports of theft and vandalism of the fence. De Lille said even after Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula deployed extra patrols along the border, including a helicopter and motorbikes, ‘the vandalism and theft continued on a daily basis'. The entire project is a subject of a series of investigations – including by the Auditor-General, the Public Protector and the National Treasury, among others. De Lille also revealed that her department has been advised by its internal anti-corruption unit not to pay any more money to the contractor until all the investigations into the contract have been completed. So far the department has paid R21m. MPs raised questions about the decision to award the contract to the same company that had failed to deliver a proper service before, and the process followed in awarding the contract and whether there was value for the money spent on the project.

Full TimesLIVE report