Learners at the Rivoni School for the Blind in Njakanjaka village will have to wait longer before moving into their new state-of-the-art buildings. The completion of the school, with a contract value of R168 million, has been delayed yet again.
The main contractor, Clear Choice Builders (CCB), was placed under business rescue at the end of 2024. This means that teaching and learning activities at Rivoni School for the Blind must continue under challenging conditions, including using dilapidated prefabricated buildings and mobile toilets. The school is one of only six in Limpopo catering to visually impaired and blind learners.
The tender for the new school was awarded to CCB in June 2021, with an initial completion deadline of 17 June 2024. This followed protests in 2019, when learners and parents demanded that the Limpopo Department of Education address the school's poor infrastructure.
The new school is designed to include staff offices, hostels, houses for hostel managers, a recreational area, a dining hall, a kitchen, an administration block, two classroom blocks with 17 classrooms, two toilet blocks, a workshop, and a laboratory.
However, the construction has faced repeated delays, mainly due to non-payment of workers and subcontractors. Workers have also downed tools multiple times since 2022 over wage disputes.
In August 2024, Limpopo Mirror reported that the new school was nearly ready, after CCB managing director Sipho Manonga claimed the project was 90% complete. At the time, he said work would be finished by December. He denied allegations of non-payment to workers and subcontractors. Manonga revised the completion date to 9 December 2024, but this deadline was also missed. CCB requested an extension under the Joint Building Contracts Committee (JBCC) agreement and expected completion by March 2025. Manonga declined further comment, referring reporters to the Independent Development Trust (IDT).
On 8 November 2024, workers downed tools again, citing unpaid wages. When the site was visited on 14 January, only a few workers were present, and the site was waterlogged and overgrown with bushes. Workers said they had not been paid for months, and many did not return this year after giving up hope of receiving their money. "It seems like it's difficult for the contractor to pay us. Some of us came from other provinces hoping to earn a living, but the contractor repeatedly made empty promises," one worker said.
Vicky Muvhali, chairperson of the project steering committee, confirmed that workers and subcontractors had not been paid since last year. "Many local workers, coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, have had to borrow money for transport," he said.
IDT spokesperson Phasha Makgolane said CCB's financial matters were now being handled by a business-rescue practitioner. He added that delays were partly due to budget cuts by the National Treasury, which affected payments. "Outstanding work, including finishes, external works, and the addition of an eye clinic, requires a contract extension," he said.
Makgolane said IDT had asked workers in November to submit records of amounts owed by 29 November to quantify the debts, but no documents were submitted. He noted that workers and subcontractors had met with CCB and agreed on a payment plan in which IDT was not involved.
Whether CCB will complete the eye clinic and remaining work depends on the outcome of the business-rescue process, Makgolane said. "There is a budget for the extension of works on-site," he added.
Despite these setbacks, Rivoni School for the Blind has maintained its 100% matric pass rate, cementing its status as one of Limpopo's top-performing schools.
On Wednesday, Mike Maringa, spokesperson for the Limpopo Department of Basic Education, confirmed that subcontractors have since been paid for work to resume.
CCB managing director Sipho Manonga also responded this week, saying that payments had indeed been processed. He added that they are in talks with the client about a "recovery program that ensures the project remains on track while upholding the highest standards of quality and efficiency".