– R.C. Elliot Hall has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair.
– DA wants answers on the insurance money allocated for the hall restoration.
– Community should not continue to suffer loss of opportunity while criminals face zero consequences for destruction of hall.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on Sol Plaatje municipality to play open cards with council regarding the future of the vandalised R.C. Elliot Hall in Galeshewe, Kimberley.
Since the hall was torched in the 2018 Kimberley shutdown, it has been repeatedly targeted by vandals and infrastructure thieves fast-tracking its collapse, with no attempts to secure what is left of the facility.
The hall, once a vibrant centre of community life, hosting a library, sporting activities, cultural events, meetings, and essential public services, has regressed into little more than a shell of rubble.
In the meantime, silence has shrouded the R3,7 million insurance payout to Sol Plaatje municipality intended to address damages incurred at municipal facilities during the Kimberley shutdown. This includes the R1,9 million allocation intended specifically for the restoration of the RC Elliot Hall.
The DA’s request to the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) in 2022, to ask for an investigation into the payouts never materialised. When the DA probes the matter, trying to establish what happened to the insurance payouts or the municipality’s future plans for the RC Elliot Hall, directors shy away from providing answers.
In the meantime, the lack of decisive action by Sol Plaatje municipality allows ongoing criminality and asset stripping at the hall.
I have submitted a request to the Municipal Manager, Thapelo Matlala, for a detailed report of the related insurance payouts, as well as any plans for the restoration and or securing of RC Elliot Hall.
The DA has also requested that Sol Plaatje municipality must work hand in hand with law enforcement to pursue the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the demise of the hall. The community should not have to continue suffering the loss of a community centre, while those who destroyed it face no consequences.