After nearly nine years of delays in the completion of the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance in Hankey, residents in the area were finally able to voice their concerns when the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, visited the site and hosted a public engagement session at Vusumzi Hall in Hankey.
Construction of the building which began in 2014 was initially meant to be completed in two years, but was delayed on multiple occasions due to shoddy workmanship and funding – among other issues.
Patensie resident, Micheal Draai, said he was frustrated because despite there being more than one contractor employed to complete construction of the multi-purpose centre, the building is yet to be completed.
He said residents wanted to know when the changing of construction companies would end.
“We are tired of hearing about a new contractor taking over the project. Each contractor also gets a cut of the money,” said Draai.
“They need to employ a good construction company that will do a good job and won’t waste time or resources.”
Khoi-San Chief, Wayne Petersen, said he believes that the previous contractors should be reprimanded for their shoddy workmanship and that money which was lost during the construction process be recovered.
He said the Khoi-San community should have a centre to host their cultural functions, and not be compelled to use a school hall.
“There are two fundamentals being missed in the construction process which are time management and budget management,” said Petersen.
He said that it is also vital that the community becomes part of the development of the centre.
“No vandalism has occurred at the building since construction began in 2014 which shows that the community wants this centre,” said Petersen.
Brenton Williams, Kouga Municipality speaker, said that the project was over budget and over time and that they wanted the project to be completed soon.
He said that R169 million was originally allocated, but that more money was needed.
Williams further said that the centre would provide employment for residents in Hankey.
“Going forward the centre will be a remembrance of Sarah Baartman, not only for Hankey, and the Kouga Municipality, but also for the people of South Africa,” said Williams.
Deputy director-general of Public Works, Batho Mokhothu, said the work completed by the previous contractor was defective and they were therefore taking legal action to recover R26 million from the construction company.
Going forward he said that the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture would be at the forefront of the completion of the building while the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) will oversee the project.
Mokhothu said that the construction of the centre would be completed within a year.
Due to the defective work done at the centre, Mthethwa said remedial work would need to commence using the R26 million which is to be recovered from the previous contractors.
To ensure that the work done by the new contractors is of a good standard, he said that they have appointed the DBSA to “be their eyes and ears”.
Mthethwa said that since the residents have struggled to obtain information about the construction of the building, they would create a bridge between his department and the community.
“We will have regular meetings with the community so that they can follow the progress of the building,” said Mthethwa.
He said that this centre would be the first centre in South Africa for the Khoi-San community and it would bring tourists to the town.
Mthethwa said that they would therefore need to work closely with the Department of Tourism on a marketing strategy to attract tourists nationally and internationally.
“Through this centre we are writing a story about Sarah Baartman who is a product of the Khoi-San, a fighting people,” said Mthethwa.
“We also want people to learn about the history of the Khoi-San and its people.”
