Accountability sought over R28m home saga

ACTIONSA in Emfuleni is outraged by the state of the Boipatong Old Age Home, where R28 million has already been spent, yet construction has not progressed and no elderly residents are benefiting from the stalled project.

- MASABATA MKWANANZI

The project, launched by the Emfuleni Local Municipality in 2015, has been plagued by delays, from contractor failures and poor administration to community unrest. Most shocking of all, planning came to a halt nearly a decade later after the late discovery of a gas pipeline beneath the site.

Bongani Dhlamini, ActionSA Emfuleni Regional Chairperson, said the Boipatong Old Age Home debacle highlights the ANC-led government's disregard for residents' well-being and blatant misuse of public funds, adding that those responsible must be held accountable.

"The Department of Infrastructure Development, Emfuleni Municipality, the appointed contractors, as well as all political and administrative officials who oversaw this project without intervening when the project was halted, must be held accountable. Political leadership cannot hide behind bureaucratic excuses - oversight is their duty, and failure to act makes them accessories to the failure of this project."