The NCOP Gauteng delegation carried out a successful oversight visit on Wednesday to incomplete and abandoned human settlements, health, education, and road projects in the West Rand and Sedibeng regions.
This visit was part of the NCOP Provincial Week Programme, focusing on the challenges of delivering public infrastructure to communities on time.
During the week-long programme, permanent delegates from the NCOP and the Gauteng Provincial Legislature conducted oversight visits to various community development structures where they encountered incomplete or abandoned projects. These visits involved officials from affected districts and government departments.
One of the projects visited was the Montrose Mega Project in Randfontein, which began in 2017 and is expected to provide 13,792 mixed typologies upon completion.
The provincial Department of Human Settlements briefed the delegation on the challenges faced by the project, including non-performance by the developer, leading to a liquidation order and failure to pay service providers. The project is now facing vandalism issues.
To address these challenges, the department took legal action against the developer, opened criminal cases for vandalism, and is implementing security measures to protect the infrastructure.
Another project visited was the Rus-Ter-Vaal Secondary School, which remains unfinished. The department plans to appoint a new contractor to complete the project.
At Kopanong Hospital in Vereeniging, construction started in 2021 but was not completed by the original contractor. The delegation expressed concern about the decaying state of the hospital.
Other projects visited included the R82 Old Johannesburg Road in Walkerville, facing challenges due to encroaching households, and the Lethabong Mega Project in Sebokeng, which was commended for its progress.
The delegation recommended opening criminal cases against developers responsible for project delays and highlighted the importance of accountability and transparency in infrastructure development.
The delegation continues its oversight visits on Thursday, 19 September in the Ekurhuleni and Tshwane regions, visiting projects such as the Bakerton Library, Barcelona Primary, Semphato Junior Secondary School, Transoranje LSEN, and Women Living Monument.