[They claim they want to help the poor, but Black African rulers lived better than any White President before them. Jan]

A R14,2-million “interim maintenance” project is in the planning stage for President Thabo Mbeki”s official Tshwane home of Mahlamba Ndlovu on the Bryntirion Estate, according to Minister of Public Works Stella Sigcau.

In reply to a question in Parliament from Democratic Alliance MP Sydney Opperman, she said the projected completion date is February 2008 — about a year before the president ends his second and last term of office.

Asked for the names of the companies that have been contracted for various projects on the Bryntirion Estate — where three ministerial homes are also to be built in the next two years — she said the contractors have not been appointed “to date”, as the projects are still in the planning stage.

However, she released the names of the consultants appointed for the design stage on the president”s home. The architectural firm is Remmers and Schutte Architects and the quantity surveyor is Quantispes Quantity Surveyors. The electrical engineer is DJJ Conradie and Partners.

Sigcau listed four projects in all — including the construction of the ministerial houses “as a result of the increase in the size of Cabinet in May 2004” — that will cost R6,58-million, or nearly R2,2-million each.

The installation of security alarms and gates in all houses on the estate will cost just more than R4-million and the upgrading of a generator in the presidential guest house will cost R1-million.

This takes the total bill to R25,8-million.

The expected date of completion of the security alarms is July 2007, and the generator job is targeted for March next year. December 2007 is the target date for the ministerial houses to be completed. — I-Net Bridge

Source: Daily Mail & Guardian
URL: http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/br…br>