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Inflating the prices of these water tanks to over R5 million is pure fraud and criminality, so accounting officers of that department must be suspended, and the contractor involved blacklisted until the SIU has completed its investigation into the matter. - Jane Sithole

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Sizwe sama Yende 

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The DA has called for immediate suspension of human settlements officials in Mpumalanga in the wake of an investigation to find out who paid nine times more for water storage tanks installed in 247 schools and 127 communities.

Officials in the Department of Human Settlements allegedly paid R5.7 million and R8.9 million for single water tanks that cost R625 000 and R1.250 million respectively.

The tanks were were installed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to bring water closer to learners and homes.

The matter is being investigated by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which aims to go to the bottom of the allegations that a contractor was overpaid or overcharged.

“The DA has found that some of the water tanks are installed in the following rural villages near White River: Jerusalema, Mshadza, Mahushu, Bhekiswayo and Mgcobaneni. These expensive water storage tanks do not even serve their initial purpose of eradicating water shortages in these areas as they don’t work,” said the party’s Mpumalanga leader, Jane Sithole.

Sithole said that the DA has gone about to do its own investigation on the prices of water tankers.

“During our own investigation, [we] consulted PLUMBLINK (plumbing experts) and were informed that a single 250 000 litre water storage tank cost R625 000 if you price it according to the standard rate of R2.50 per litre. A 500 000-litre water storage tank would therefore be R1.250 million at the standard rate of R2.50 per litre,” she said.

“Inflating the prices of these water tanks to over R5 million is pure fraud and criminality, so accounting officers of that department must be suspended, and the contractor involved blacklisted until the SIU has completed its investigation into the matter,” Sithole added.

She added that one of the tanks collapsed and killed one learner in one of the schools last year and the contractor was under police investigation.

During an oversight visit in 28 schools last year, she said, the DA found that some still had pit toilets. “Those schools lucky enough to have flush toilets, had no water because the installed water tanks were not connected,” said Sithole.

Sithole said that Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane should immediately suspend all the accounting officers in the department, and blacklist the contractor involved pending the outcome of the SIU’s investigation.