GOOD Statement by Rosa Louw,
GOOD Garden Route District Municipality Councillor
26 June 2025
The GOOD Party is deeply concerned by the continued delays and administrative missteps hampering progress on the Garden Route Regional Waste Management Facility. This long-overdue project is vital for sustainable waste management in the region, yet Phase 1, originally scheduled for completion in February 2024, remains unfinished.
Originally conceptualised in 2008 and launched in 2020, the facility was intended to manage approximately 8,500 tons of domestic waste generated monthly by the municipalities of Bitou, Knysna, George, and Mossel Bay.
The recent cancellation of the R31.9 million tender awarded to the Tefla Group has further set back progress. What is most troubling is that, even after the cancellation, the municipality continues to encounter avoidable delays due to repeated errors in the revised tender documentation. These setbacks raise serious questions about the oversight and project management processes in place.
We note and support the decision to now involve the other participating municipalities more directly. This collaborative approach should have been adopted from the outset, and we hope it will now result in improved accountability and fewer procedural errors.
Further, the process of calling up the performance guarantee from Maadima (Pty) Ltd, worth R31.9 million, has been poorly handled. It appears the Municipality has taken a trial-and-error approach, knocking on every door until the correct one opens. Our legal and financial departments should have had clear guidance and acted swiftly to recover the funds. The slow and uncertain execution of this process undermines public trust.
On a more constructive note, GOOD supports the recommendation to lease or sell a portion of Farm 419, that the Waste Facility is on, to Mossel Bay Municipality through negotiation. Revenue generated from this transaction will offer much-needed relief to the Municipality’s strained finances.
This project is too important to be derailed by poor planning and mismanagement. We call for urgent action, improved coordination, and full transparency moving forward.
Media enquiries:media@forgood.org.za