The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape continues to probe the apparent abandonment of a school hall planned for Steynville High School in Hopetown. I have written to the Member of the Executive Council for Education to ask why it is taking so long, why it is costing so much, and how much longer it will still take.
I went to check progress for myself and found that the hall still remains far from safe or suitable for the school community to use. Neither the floors nor the walls have been finished properly. A significant amount of the ceiling sheets is either missing or broken. Broken window panes also expose the shell of the hall to the elements, which is a risk as winter storms sweep the province.
The DA already requested an investigation from the Public Protector into this project four years ago, as construction of the hall was set for completion in July 2019 at a cost of R1.5 million. Construction stopped and started up again as the contractor abandoned the site, but then returned after receiving a contract for rectification and completion. While the school community sits without a user-friendly structure, costs have skyrocketed to more than R9.8 million and the latest annual report from the Northern Cape Department of Education reveals that yet another variation of R1.9 million was approved.
It’s taken the provincial government almost seven years to build a simple structure that was meant to take just nine months. This is one of many examples that confirms that the provincial government remains incapable of managing infrastructure projects properly and to the benefit of communities. The DA will continue to probe this project and ensure that officials are held liable for their failures.