By Celani Sikhakhane
- Meyer says some officials delay payments unless contractors give them bribes, which has held up over 50 projects.
- He warned departments with unpaid invoices that they won’t get new projects until they settle their outstanding debt.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure Martin Meyer is furious with corrupt government officials who demand bribes from contractors in exchange for paying invoices.
Meyer made the strong remarks on Tuesday afternoon while delivering his department’s R2-billion budget for the 2025/26 financial year.
“Madam Speaker, we have a serious problem of some government officials who demand a ‘thank you money’ from contractors in order to pay invoices,” he said. “We are fighting this behaviour. No contractor should be bullied like this.”
He said the extortion of contractors is not only unethical but is also causing massive delays. Over 50 projects have been held up because subcontractors are being forced to pay bribes to get what they are owed.
Meyer said the payment delays have pushed many contractors, especially women, into hardship. “Some are left with no food for their children because they have not been paid for completed work,” he said.
The department has now started working with client departments to fast-track the payment of long-overdue invoices, especially those that are older than 120 days.
Meyer made it clear: “In the next financial year, we will not accept new project requests from any department that still has unpaid claims. We won’t continue building when others haven’t been paid.”
The backlog is serious. The total value of outstanding payments owed to the department sits at R737.4-million. One department alone owes R426.4-million – that’s 64% of the entire amount.
But Meyer says things are starting to turn around. “By 10 February 2025, we had received over R71-million in payments through our new measures. More money is on the way.”
Pictured above: KZN MEC Martin Meyer warns against officials demanding bribes from contractors.
Image source: KZN Public Works and Infrastructure
