An e-mail from Nelson Mandela Bay DA councillor Trevor Louw reveals how he pressured a municipal official to subcontract a road construction tender to a company owned by the party’s branch secretary.
The Ward 35 councillor proposed in the e-mail to the metro’s senior director of roads, stormwater and transportation, Yussuf Gaffore, that a firm called Perciwize Pty Ltd should be hired as the subcontractor for the job.
Perciwize is owned by Cassius Verhoog, who is the DA’s branch secretary in Ward 35, which covers Bethelsdorp, Aspen Heights and West End.
Verhoog conceded yesterday that he “works closely” with Louw and that they spoke regularly.
In the e-mail, dated March 14, Louw pushes for Perciwize to be appointed as subcontractor, saying the firm is on the grade required for the job.
Perciwize eventually got the subcontracting job – worth about R200,000 – for the Stanford Road resurfacing project, according to Verhoog.
Louw said in the poorly written e-mail: “I would like you to make sure that the SMME of my ward must be C.E.2/3 [construction industry development board grading] that will minimize the cunjeston of other SMME in my Ward.
“I approved the project with the blessing of the leadership and the SMME we propose Mr C.R. Verhoog of the Perciwize LTD PTY as the sub contractor.
“He is on Grade C.E. 2/3 Capital P.E survival constructing and will carry other SMME in my Ward. This letter is the only document that keep construction to start.
“Please respond URGENT [sic]”.
Gaffore responded about 45 minutes later, saying that the SMMEs that would be chosen for the job would depend on the main contractor, Khayalihle Trading.
“I can, unfortunately, not accept SMMEs other than the contractor and the project manager dealing with such issues,” he wrote.
“Acceptance of SMMEs is a requirement to create work but can never be to delay service delivery.”
Louw then replied that he would like the contractor to start the process of appointing the SMME. Asked yesterday about what appears to be blatant political interference and undue influence in the municipal administration, Louw said he was merely conveying the wishes of the SMME executive body in his ward, which had handpicked the small business that should get the job.
“I’m not getting involved in the administration,” he said.“When a committee has been appointed and says ‘councillor this is the committee you’re working with, we are giving to you the people that must work on projects’, it’s my job to make sure that the main contractor and the officials of the municipality know that this is the subcontractor that has been appointed by the SMMEs that are going to work on these projects.
“It’s not political interference; it’s purely making sure that what your small structures want is implemented.
“You as the ward councillor must make sure that what the SMMEs want they get, because if you don’t and they come with someone else from another ward, there will be chaos in your ward.
“Yes, it looks like I want to interfere, but unfortunately it’s the process I’ve been working through all the years to ensure that the SMMEs are dealing with the projects.”
Verhoog was at pains to explain yesterday that it was ultimately up to the main contractor to choose who to subcontract work to.
He said he had worked as a subcontractor for Kayalihle Trading before and that he either got work through informal tendering or approaching the main contractors directly.
Asked why Louw would advocate for his company to be given the resurfacing of Stanford Road subcontract, Verhoog said: “Why he would do that, I’m not at liberty to say. I can speculate.
“For example, it might be that the main contractor asked for certain criteria and my company meets that criteria.”
He conceded that as secretary of the DA for the branch in Louw’s ward, they spoke often.
Asked if they were friends, he said: “We are work acquaintances. We don’t socialise with each other on weekends, but we work closely.
“We speak to each other every other day, so I don’t know at what point can one say we’re friends.”
The DA’s chief whip of council, Werner Senekal, said he would have to investigate whether there was interference from Louw’s side in the administration of the municipality.
“Ward councillors have a role to play in their respective wards as it relates to SMMEs.
“What must be determined is whether there was interference – and this is what I will investigate.”
City manager Johann Mettler said Louw’s role was to provide the main contractor with the contact details of SMMEs in his ward.