The Democratic Alliance (DA) has requested the MEC of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Venus Blennies-Magage, to schedule an urgent stakeholder meeting as the multi-million-rand Upington Industrial Park hinders business instead of turbocharging the local economy.
The industrial park cost government at least R50 million, with a further R200 million in the pipeline.
Since the contractor left the site, the road at the entrance has pulled up due to not being properly compacted. The front gate is damaged and the boom gates are broken. The guard house has been broken into and all equipment, including cameras and radios, was stolen. The fencing is regularly cut. The high mast lighting has never worked since installation. A stormwater canal, erected at the erven, runs uphill, rendering it useless. The erven within the industrial park, initially intended to be leased out to businesses, have also yet to be serviced.
Businesses, who were co-opted into the park with empty promises, have lost interest in the project due to a critical lack of communication and basic courtesy by the Northern Cape Economic Development, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (NCEDA).
Currently, no one is prepared to sign any upcoming constitution of the Property Owners Association, which is yet to be established, much less considering paying monthly levies.
The park has done nothing to bolster local economic growth, instead constituting wasteful and fruitless expenditure. That the rectification of the stormwater canal is part of a variation order, doesn’t inspire confidence. The proposed development of the erven for industrialists, which is supposed to culminate in an extra revenue stream for the municipality, also doesn’t win any favour. Even Dawid Kruiper municipality has refused to take over the running of the industrial park from NCEDA, due to the shoddy workmanship and ongoing problems experienced at the park.
The DA has written to Blennies-Magage, to schedule a meeting with NCEDA, the business owners and the municipality.
Simply throwing more money at the failing industrial park, will not turbocharge the local economy. The project must be urgently reassessed. Political point-scoring and contracts for cadres must be replaced with value-for-money financial management that prioritises investment, job creation, service delivery and inclusive growth.