Sparks fly at Working for Water
2011-09-22
FRANSCHHOEK tree-felling contractors are up in arms about what they describe as fraud and corruption within the offices of Working for Water. So much so that they locked down the offices at the La Motte forestry station on Tuesday morning, picketing and demanding a meeting with the municipal manager and mayor of the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM), under whose jurisdiction these offices fall. Contractors, who wished to remain unnamed due to fear of victimisation, said that they had paid for training on specialised felling, but have not received the certificates to date. They claim that they have also established that the contractor who is responsible for this training is not qualified to undertake such training. They furthermore claim that since 2007 an official has been demanding back-hand payments of up to 10% of the value of contracts for which contractors tender. CWDM Municipal Manager Mike Mgajo and Mayor Neels de Bruyn met with the irate contractors. After the meeting Mgajo said that they take all these allegations extremely seriously and will immediately commence with an investigation.
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