DA calls for Gautrain probe

By Nadia Samie
4 December 2006

The Democratic Alliance has called on the Auditor-General to probe tender procedures in the awarding of the contraversial Gautrain project. The project currently stands at around R23-billion.

The DA’s call comes after a story appeared in the Sunday Times, alleging that the Bombela Consortium had lobbied the provincial Gauteng government to push up costs.

Originally, the cost of the construction of the railway — to run from the OR Tambo Airport to the Johannesburg CBD — was put at R7-billion. It is further alleged that the tender procedures were deviated from.

The DA’s spokesperson on transport, James Swart, says that a shadow of doubt has been cast over the whole project.

“If the Bombela Consortium was too expensive, why was the reserve bidder Gauliwe Consortium not brought in? Did Gauliwe lose out because they were less politically connected?”

“The government should learn the lesson of the arms deal scandal and make all relevant documents public so that controversy about the Gautrain is put to rest as soon as possible. The DA will be writing to the Auditor-General to commence his probe into the Gautrain tender procedures as soon as possible,” Swart said.