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R200 million of the people’s money poured into incomplete Sarah Baartman Centre

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Dear MyPE

The people of Hankey, in the Eastern Cape, were promised 1000’s of jobs by the ANC government through the construction of the Sarah Baartman Remembrance Centre.

Instead, five years down the line, the people have been saddled with a growing financial burden, as the costs have ballooned from R165 million to more than R200 million. Very little has come of the construction jobs for locals promised. The 134 full-time employment opportunities at the Centre, on project completion, are currently nothing more than pipe dreams.

Last week I was accompanied by Sarah Baartman District Municipality DA Councillor, Henni Britz, during an oversight inspection at the Centre, and found little more than a construction site. (see pictures here, here and here)

Poor planning, and even worse workmanship, have resulted in zero benefits for the people of Hankey from this government project that is being built by the National Department of Public Works on behalf of the Department of Arts and Culture.

The completion of the Centre, which started in April 2014, has now been delayed several times. An initial completion date of October 2016 was given, which was then extended to March 2019. More than a year and a half later, and the Centre is still far from complete.

A change of contractors, and worker unrest due to non-payment, have also put spokes in the wheels of this project.

I will now be submitting parliamentary questions regarding this project to determine the estimated cost of completing the project, the expected completion date and the purpose of the project, aside from the honouring of Sarah Baartman.

Regards

Samantha Graham-Maré, MP
DA Deputy Shadow Minister of Public Works

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