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Pretoria - A construction claim from the Bombela consortium for "delays and disruptions" with the building of the Gautrain has been described as "spurious" by the Gauteng government.
Jack van der Merwe, CEO of the Gautrain Management Agency, said in a statement that the claim would be challenged.
This statement comes after Brian Bruce, CEO of Murray & Roberts, which has an interest in Bombela, said at the group's interim results presentation that it would do everything in its power to recover costs arising from the late handing over of the building site and the dolomite risk in Centurion.
Transport Deputy Minister Jeremy Cronin subsequently told Sake24 the claim could total more than R10bn.
Van der Merwe said in his statement that the Gauteng government received a bulky document from Bombela last August entitled Submission on delays and disruptions.
The province's legal team decided that the document did not constitute any basis for a legal claim.
Bombela was asked to explain this basis, but has to date not responded.
Van der Merwe says that claim is regarded as spurious and has little chance of succeeding. That is why the province's political committee decided to oppose it.
He also said it was dishonest of parties involved in the contract to say that the Gauteng government was going to pay them (for the claim), given the information the province currently has at its disposal.
According to Van der Merwe, the agreement concerning the completion of the first phase - the line between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton - before the start of the Fifa 2010 World Cup has not been signed yet.
However, the proposed agreement states clearly that this amendment to the contract will not involve any cost for the Gauteng government "now or in the future".
Bruce said earlier that Bombela would carry the cost now, but that it would be recovered in the claim later on.
Van der Merwe said that claims are a common occurrence in mega infrastructure projects, but said it was in no one's interest to hold a debate about it in the media.
- Sake24.com
For more business news in Afrikaans, go to Sake24.com.