The old weed harvester is not operating and currently in for repairs: Supplied
Cape Town - Residents in Zandvlei have expressed disappointment as the City would no longer deliver the new weed harvester that was expected at the end of June. Instead, a replacement tender was advertised on Friday after the initial contractor failed to deliver.
In February, Save the Zandvlei petitioners cast doubt on the expected date of the weed harvester delivery after it merged that the service provider had hit a snag on available working capital in December and was engaging bankers.
The new weed harvester delivery was expected in August last year, then December, and was later postponed to early this year.
Save the Zandvlei petitioner Charles Whaley said for months the City had been lying to the residents.
“This is outrageous. They have said that the weed harvester was being constructed, they have said construction was on schedule, and they have promised after many delays that it would be delivered by the end of June.
“Now we learn that was all untrue. They have been stringing us along. And now a new tender has to be issued which will take months and meanwhile the old weed harvester is out of action,” he said.
Another petitioner, Mike Ryder, said only last month council officials confirmed that all was on track for delivery at end of next month.
“Council officials had been appointed to monitor progress and report back regularly. Over the past 12 months, site visits and/or photos of progress were requested and continually refused, but the council was adamant that the new machine would be delivered and no indication of problems was communicated. The fact that an entirely new tender has now been issued and the whole process has to start from scratch demands many answers to some serious questions,” he said.
Mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment Eddie Andrews said when the new contract was in place, the City intended to procure several weed harvesters to address its needs.
Andrews said the City has not incurred any financial losses and that payment to any service provider – be it for goods, or services – only happens after delivery. He said the current weed harvester was currently in for repairs.
“The harvester is not needed at the moment as there is little if any, pondweed and algal growth in the Zandvlei currently.”
He said in the meantime, the City would monitor the vlei for weeds and the expanded public works programme teams would assist by removing weeds by hand from August.
mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za
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