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News24 reports that the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Public Works and Infrastructure plans to slash consultant costs and transition towards in-house expertise.
It has already spent more than R100 million this financial year alone on consultants, including private land surveyors, architects, cost consultants, services engineers, civil engineers, structural engineers, environmental consultants for building design and construction, and others. "There is a lot of money that is being spent on these private guys. This has been the case for years, and the department ends up paying millions of rands to consultants. It depends on the project. For example, if you have a project worth R100 million, maybe about 20% of that will go towards consultants, and that will be R20 million," a department source indicated. When presenting the 2020/2021 Local Government Audit outcomes in Parliament last year, Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke revealed that consultant fees amounted to R1.6 billion, or 13% of the total financial reporting cost of R12.3 billion. According to Maluleke, KZN municipalities spent the most, namely R309.26 million, followed by North West at R282.33 million, and Limpopo at R263.18 million. The KZN department's spokesperson, Steve Bhengu, confirmed that millions were being spent on consultants because of a pre-existing "culture". He said that, currently, there was a transition to turn around the situation, which would take some time.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sakhiseni Nxumalo at News24 (registration required)
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