By Mercy Matonga:

Road Engineering Company (Rec), which was awarded the contract for the supply, delivery, installation and commissioning of a water bottling plant, has faulted Blantyre Water Board (BWB) for the delay of the project.

According to Rec Managing Director Wavisanga Silungwe, the project has stalled as BWB had, earlier on, no warehouse (factory) where the machine was to be commissioned and installed.

He said it was the board’s decision that since it had no factory, all obligations incorporated in the contract should wait until the board has a factory.

“BWB IPDC & Rec Ltd visited Nguludi Water Site, where it was agreed that since the board doesn’t have a factory, all obligations under the contract, including submission of performance bond, should wait because of its discharge period until such a time that the board shall construct the factory,” Silungwe said.

He further said after signing the contract, Rec did not submit the performance bond, as per the initial contract, within 30 days, and that in September 2023, BWB did not terminate the contract; instead, it extended the contract further to April 2024 and adjusted the contract value by 15 percent.

“Meanwhile, the contract was extended again from April 2024 to June 2024, July 2024 to September 2024. Even as we write, the factory at Nguludi is 50 percent complete; hence, according to the agreement, we can submit a performance bond unless the factory is complete,” Silungwe further said.

In our recent article on the matter, BWB spokesperson Evelyn Khonje refused to comment on the matter as well as to share more details on the contract.

She said BWB was unable to comment as it is currently the subject of ongoing litigation in court.

“However, we can confirm that we do not have a current agreement or contract with Road Engineering Company, and no payments have ever been made to them,” Khonje said.

In a letter sourced by The Daily Times from the board, and written to Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda, the contract was terminated on August 15 2024 due to Rec’s alleged noncompliance, dishonesty, fraudulent practice and failure to provide performance security.

The letter further alleged that Rec falsely claimed to have procured the machine and misled BWB into sending a delegation to China for the factory assessment test, with the delegation discovering and getting confirmation from the manufacturer that no machine had been paid for or produced.

However, Silungwe says BWB sent to China a delegation that was not conversant with the Water Bottling Project and allegedly misused public funds for appeasement.

“Since the team that went to China was ignorant of the Water Bottling Project Production Line and associated components, they visited the manufacturer factory but failed to take advantage of their vi