Rooiwal haunts Tshwane

Tender Row: City ordered to pay officials R1.3m for botched suspensions

- Antoinette Slabbert

Nine months after the City of Tshwane suspended five senior officials with pay for their roles in the irregular award of the Rooiwal tender, it has been ordered to pay them collectively more than R1.3 million in consolation.

The five must also be allowed to return to work by 20 January.

According to a bargaining council ruling issued shortly before Christmas, the suspensions were "capricious and arbitrary", and a press release issued by the city caused irreparable harm to the dignity, reputation and social status of the five officials.

The consolation award equals two months' salary for each and varies between R206 000 and R314 000.

This new financial obligation came shortly after Eskom named Tshwane its fourth biggest debtor, with R6.7 billion in arrear debt at the end of November.

Tender award

The tender for upgrading the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant was awarded in 2019 to NJR Projects and Blackhead Consulting, owned by ANC benefactor Edwin Sodi, in a joint venture (JV) with CMS Water Engineering.

The award was made during the tenure of former DA mayor Stevens Mokgalapa and was aimed at improving the quality of water supplied to residents of Hammanskraal.

The JV later abandoned the project, and the city terminated the contract for non-performance.