THE human settlements department in the Free State apparently paid R255 million for work worth less than R20 million, according to evidence heard at the Zondo Commission yesterday.
This is according to asbestos expert Jacobus Roets, who said the controversial R255 million asbestos audit tender awarded in 2014 to Ignatius “Igo” Mpambani and Gauteng-based businessman, Edwin Sodi, was inflated.
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The joint venture was to produce an audit and assessment on how to eradicate asbestos in the province.
Roets said he estimated a cost in terms of time and resources spent.
“It came out to between R8 million and R9 million,” said Roets.
He said the report the joint venture produced was useless!
“It wouldn’t assist any other contractors to effectively plan and cost such a big project,” he said.
He said there was no proper assessment done on how to remove and get rid of asbestos in a way that wouldn’t be harmful to residents.
“If you don’t educate residents on potential risks, and not warn them not to throw things on it, there’s a risk fibres may be released and people will inhale it,” said Roets.
He said the whole report was structured around the house structure itself and had very little information other than a potential number of houses in each district.
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“There was no bill of quantities in the report,” he said.
He said a bill of quantities includes the amount of asbestos in the house, amount of labour, and time to move hazardous material.
Evidence leader Paul Pretorius said government had to find the money as the bid had been unsolicited.
Pretorius told the commission that among the people who benefitted from the project were ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, former Free State human settlements deputy-general, Thabani Zulu, and former soccer player Jimmy Tau.
