Cape Town - Construction workers, together with their bosses, who have been carrying out maintenance work at schools in the province under the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) submitted an urgent interdict application to the Western Cape High Court, after the contracts were given to five larger construction companies.
The matter was struck off the roll earlier this week and the Western Cape Construction Development Association (WCCDA) which represents 76 small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) launched an urgent application to interdict all school maintenance and emergency construction work after the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) together with DOI diverted the work to five larger companies.
Rene Reynolds, chairperson of the association said many businesses were adversely affected and some had to retrench workers.
“The reckless decision to move the Infrastructure Department’s mandate to education has been detrimental to all stakeholders and will subsequently impact the local economy through job losses and business closures,” she said.
“While the association is acutely aware that school maintenance work is critical for the functioning of learning institutions, the interdict is a last resort following almost two years of failed attempts to engage relevant stakeholders at both the departments of infrastructure and education.”
She added that the redirected management contracts would affect around 1 500 public schools.
Reynolds said their lawyers were now preparing a new application on the court roll.
She said their areas of concerns were that many of the companies had been contracted for the last 15 years focusing on maintenance.
“It is the maintenance work such as the replacement of the asbestos roofs, repairs around the schools such as windows and toilets, but the building of schools is done by larger construction companies.
“This is not just affecting us as owners but our workers and I have had to retrench workers in my company.
“We have been doing construction work for the DOI for almost 20 years and for the last 18 months there has been no work because the decision has been taken by WCED to hand over the majority of the work to five contractors – now work has been taken away from almost 100 SMME.
Khalid Sayed, ANC spokesperson in the Western Cape, who supported the organisation said construction workers were joined by small enterprise owners in their plight outside court earlier this week.
“They have been doing work particularly at the schools but they have been disadvantaged by the DA-led WCED, that is killing this particular industry,” he said.
Jandre Bakker, DOI head of communication, said the court case was not set to continue.
“The department has been informed that the matter was struck off the roll with costs.”
The WCED said in their response to Weekend Argus that they could not comment as the DOI did the opposing affidavit.
Premier Alan Winde’s office also received a letter from owners about their plight, to which his office responded: “The Department of Infrastructure has been informed that the matter was struck off the roll with costs.”