The Ministers of Public Works and Infrastructure and Sports, Arts and Culture have rejected a report presented by their departments to Parliament’s Sport, Arts and Cuture Portfolio Committee.
The report on the delays of a major infrastructure project at the burial site of Saarah Baartman in Hankey, Eastern Cape, was delivered to the portfolio committee on Tuesday.
“In my discussions with Minister [Gayton] McKenzie, we both agree that the progress which has been achieved in the centre remains wholly inadequate and that serious action needs to be taken to limit any further wastage of taxpayer money,” Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson said.
The project was supposed to commence on April 14, 2014, and be completed 30 months later, on October 14, 2016. The initial contract was valued at over R168m.
The portfolio committee heard Lubbe Construction was the first contractor to be awarded the project, to the tune of R168,388,879.37.
The scope of the project included the construction of classrooms, a multi-purpose hall, a reading room, a gatehouse, dormitories, a reception area, a living heritage, a restaurant, a pump house, upgrades to the R311 road, a museum, and a roadway to the burial area.
The portfolio committee heard Lubbe Construction experienced significant cashflow problems which affected the company’s ability to deliver on its promises.
The contractor then assigned the project to another contractor, Transtruct Building and Civil Contractors, by this time, 10 months had already elapsed.
The project was then valued at R189,768,478 — over R21 million more.
This contractor received approval to take over the project in October 2017, with a revised completion date set to October 2018.
The contractors requested an extension of the deadline until August 28, 2020, with the bill now R60m higher than the initial value — a staggering R225,113,754.60.
There were then yet more delays: the discovery of poor-quality work that required remedial works with an estimated cost of R9 million; the appointment of art coordinators and increase in artwork costs; delays in payment claims; delays in works due to Covid-19 lockdown regulations; inclement weather; termination of contract and holding costs; community unrest and taxi strikes; and the builders’ annual shutdown period.
The second contractor terminated its contract on July 21, 2021, days after the Department of Pubic Works had made a payment of R3.1m. The contractor cited “unresolved issues” as the reason it would not return to work after receiving the payment, and the matter is still under an arbitration process to address the disputes between the department and the contractor.
A third contractor issued notice of termination after the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure had not made further payment by August 2024.
There is currently no contractor assigned to complete the project which is now only 37% complete.
“Not only have both departments failed to brief the ministers on the report presented to Parliament, but it furthermore is simply unacceptable that despite three contractors being involved in the project over a period of 10 years, construction has not even been halfway completed with further delays expected,” Macpherson said.
He said the life of Sarah Baartman remains an important reminder of the nation’s painful past and it was therefore imperative to give her the respect and dignity she deserves.
“However, the work which has been done at the Remembrance Centre thus far fails to honour her memory and has instead become a problem that continues to cost taxpayers millions. This simply must end,” Macpherson said.
He said the meeting with McKenzie would help to resolve any concerns while developing a joint vision of how the construction of the project can be completed in the shortest timeframe and possibly providing solutions that can be replicated at other memorial projects across the country.
“For too long, the South African State and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure as implementing agents have spent millions on memorial projects just for the projects to remain incomplete or fall into a state of disrepair.
“This era of this fruitless expenditure has to come to an end, and I know that both Minister McKenzie and I are committed to achieving this goal. Let us Build South Africa,” Macpherson said.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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