10 years and R200m, but still no Baartman Centre
THE construction of an educational and remembrance centre at Sarah Baartman’s burial site in the Eastern Cape has been delayed since 2014, the portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture has heard.
This comes as Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson and his Sports, Arts and Culture counterpart Gayton McKenzie this week rejected a report presented by their departments to the committee.
The report on the delays of the major infrastructure project 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,” Macpherson said.
The project was supposed to start 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 at the cost of R168m.
The scope of the project included the construction of classrooms, a multi-purpose hall, a reading room, a gatehouse, dormitories, a reception area, a restaurant, a pump house, upgrades to the R311 road, a museum, and a roadway to the burial area.
The 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 that time, 10 months had elapsed.The project was then valued at R189m. The contractor requested an extension of the deadline until August 28, 2020, with the bill then at a staggering R225m.
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 increases in artwork costs; delays in payment claims; delays in works due to Covid19 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 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 Baartman’s life remained an important reminder of the nation’s painful past and it was therefore imperative to give her the respect and dignity she deserved.
“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.