ESWADE’S MPAKENI DAM CONSTRUCTION DEADLINE EXTENDED

SIPHOFANENI – The deadline for the Mkhondvo-Ngwavuma Water Augmentation Project’s (MNWAP) construction of the Mpakeni dam and associated works including the permanent access road has been extended.

This was mentioned by Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development (ESWADE) Communications Manager Nokwazi Hlophe, who said the deadline would now be February 14, 2023.
ESWADE invited sealed bids from eligible bidders for the construction of the Mpakeni Dam consisting of a clay core rockfill embankment dam 52m high. The dam will have 1 800 000m3 earth/rock/clay fill and 35m wide rectangular spillway with a plunge pool, intake tower with elevated intakes and a 2 x 2D bottom outlets.

Construction

It also consists of the construction of the Mpakeni Dam Permanent Access Road consisting of a 15km single carriage double lane bitumen sealed road to the Mpakeni Dam site in the Shiselweni Region, in Eswatini, for a construction period of 51 months. The contractor to be awarded the MNWAP contract will profit five per cent from the project. The E3.4 billion project is funded by the government and the African Development Bank (AfDB), which makes the tender non-exclusive. This means both local and international companies can bid for the tender. The MNWAP involves the transfer and storage of irrigation water from the Mkhondvo River to the Ngwavuma River, via the construction of a network of three dams (Mpakeni on the Ngwavuma River and Mahamba and Ethemba Dams on the Mkhondvo River), together with diversion system and conveyance scheme.  

Project

Project funds will be spent essentially in the country and location where the project will takes place. This was mentioned by ESWADE Chief Executive Officer Samson Sithole, in an exclusive interview with this publication. Sithole said in such a case only, the profits accrue to the investor while the expenditure occurs in the country of operation. “In the case of the Mpakeni Dam under the Mkhondvo - Ngwavuma Water Augmentation Project the funds will be spent on the construction of the project while the profits will go to the companies undertaking the work,” he said. The CEO mentioned that the funds would circulate in the country and the project area and surround specifically as well as in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), for goods and services coming from SACU countries like South Africa. “As more goods and services are sourced from the SACU Region Eswatini directly benefits from such funds since Eswatini is a member of SACU and receives most of its revenues from SACU,” he said.

Clarified

ESWADE expert Engineer Enock Dlamini clarified that the over E3 billion tender was non-exclusive but an open tender, about two months ago. This was after tender acquisition raised concerns on the prioritisation of local companies. Bidders for the time were companies from Turkey, China and South Africa. The tender was for the construction of the dam and associates works including the dam’s permanent access roads. Worth noting, both local and international have acquired tenders locally and companies were evaluated with the assistance of Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (ESPPRA). Dlamini said local companies were given a chance to bid for the tender and when evaluated, they did not qualify to execute the tender. He said the tender was open to both local and international companies as it was non-exclusive. “Bids from international companies were allowed because the project was also funded by international institutions,” he said. Dlamini mentioned that funding was received from AfDB and government. He said prequalification of Contractors Commenced in 2021 and the Prequalification Process followed AfDB Procurement Guidelines & ESPPRA Act.

Guidelines

“The procurement guidelines of AfDB state that tenders funded by their bank should be open to both international and local companies,” he said. He said they then compiled a Prequalification Evaluation Report, which was completed in May and no objection was obtained from AfDB. Dlamini added that they planned to launch tenders for Mpakeni Dam and Access Road Construction from June this year. He said the tender Adjudication and Contract Award for Mpakeni Dam and Access Road would be tendered on August 2022, and the Mpakeni Dam and access roads construction works were expected to commence this year.

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