The Free State Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has been under scrutiny over the construction project at the Vogelfontein Primary School. OFM News previously reported last year that the project was halted for a year despite R60million being set aside for it. Provincial spokesperson for Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, Mlu Maqubela, tells OFM News that the delays in the project were due to issues with the contractor. He says that the department is busy finalising some issues that caused the delays.

Meanwhile, Maqubela adds that the department has been impressed with construction work in other projects such as the Thusanong building, that is currently going as planned. He adds that they expect the Thusanong project to be fully completed within 18 months. This after stating that the project’s previous delays were caused by failures of the previous contractor.

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"We had to restart it as the department because the initial contractor was underperforming. So we appointed a new contractor, now we are satisfied with the work on site. According to our last monthly report, the project was progressing very well after the appointment of the second contractor at the project," he said.

OFM News previously reported that the project began in 2019 and was meant to resume in June 2020, following the hard lockdown levels imposed on the country. The then contractor and the Gauteng-based principal agent that was appointed for the project, allegedly clashed repeatedly over the technical aspects of the construction of the school. Despite numerous pleas from the parties for the department of Public Works and Infrastructure to intervene, it seems little was done to quell rising tensions.

The DA had alleged that Education MEC, Tate Makgoe, confirmed in the Legislature that R60 million had been set aside by his department for this project. The owner of the construction company that was appointed for the project, Tshitshirisang Construction and Projects, had declined to comment on the matter in light of litigation at the time.

ALSO READ: Major construction on FS school halted

Free State MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure, Motshidise Koloi, recently stated that her department has prioritised the completion of old projects that had been delayed for various reasons. She said this after stating that she was pleased with the progress the newly appointed contractor has made at the Katleho Mpumelelo Secondary School in Sasolburg whilst she was delivering her budget speech for 2022/23 earlier this year.

ALSO READ: Free State school nears completion

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