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Nothing to celebrate as our heritage is on a brink of collapse 

Heritage Month is symbolic as it is about celebrating our diverse cultures and reflecting on how far we have gone and achieved as a country.

Today, as we celebrate the actual Heritage Day, l can see many people dressed in their cultural regalia to demonstrate who we are and where we come from.

We must not forget where we come from as a country and where we are striving to go. Our beloved diverse country is on a brink of collapse, we can see with the current blackouts that we are experiencing as a country.

The fact that our country is collapsing is also seen through the state of Gauteng heritage sites which are in a terrible state even though there are millions of rands allocated annually for the maintenance and operationalisation of our heritage sites.

While we commemorate Heritage Day today, there is nothing to celebrate in Gauteng as several facilities worthy of preservation remain a shadow of their former selves.

As part of the DA Heritage Month Campaign, we have conducted oversight inspections of the following heritage monuments so far; O R Tambo Precinct in Ekurhuleni, Boipatong Monument and Youth Centre in Vanderbijlpark, Kagiso Memorial and Recreation Centre in Krugersdorp and Women’s living heritage monument in Tshwane

All these heritage monuments have similar challenges, they are not operational or not well maintained.

* The OR Tambo Cultural Precinct is on a brink of collapsing due to years of neglect by the previous ANC-led Ekurhuleni administration. The facility is unsuitable for human habitation as it poses a serious safety risk. The ceiling is damaged and falling off, walls have cracks, the exterior walls are also peeling off, and the ablution facilities are not functional.
* The Boipatong Monument and Youth Centre is still not operational and not benefitting the residents.
* The state-of-the-art Kagiso Memorial and Recreation Centre has been abandoned and left to crumble while residents suffer with no access to sporting facilities.
* Women’s living monument which was built at the cost of R200 million an since it was opened R78 million was spent on it yet the monument is not operational an poses a safety risk.

It is disappointing that there is a lack of progress from this current government with regards to ensuring that our heritage monuments are fully operational and are benefiting our residents.

Experience has shown that where there are delays in the completion of projects, there is a corrupt element involved.

This means that millions of taxpayer’s monies spent on the construction of these heritage monuments and the operational costs will go down the drain because they are still not functional. The longer these facilities remain unoccupied and not utilised the become vulnerable to vandalism and theft.

These heritage monuments have the potential of boosting local tourism and creating employment opportunities for their residents as well as empower them with the necessary skills to be able to earn a living.

This current government has been dragging its feet on getting our monuments fully operational. With these remaining one year and some months, we will continue to demand that this current government must reprioritise the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation’s (SACR) expenditure plans to ensure proper budget allocation, focusing on the core mandate of the department of providing universal access to sports and facilities.

The DA has plans on how to get our heritage monuments operational, come 2024 when a capable DA government is voted into power, we will do the following: conduct a forensic audit into the state of all our heritage monuments and reprioritise the budget to ensure that they are completed and fully operational. We will also tighten control and oversight roles to ensure that they are functioning accordingly and for the benefit of our residents.

As we leave here today we must as ambassadors and activists of the DA paint the length an breath Gauteng blue, cover every nook an corner of Gauteng, knock on every door an speak to every voter in Gauteng, register all eligible voters who are not registered and ensure that the DA wins Gauteng outright in 2024 in order for Gauteng residents to experience and feel what is the like to live in society characterised by values of freedom, freedom, Fairness and diversity.

For Gauteng Residents to live in corruption free province where services are rendered on a continuous an sustained basis.

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Abandoned state-of-the-art Kagiso Memorial is left to crumble while residents suffer with no access to sporting facilities

The children and youth of Kagiso Township do not have access to proper sporting facilities and continue to be forced to commute to nearby suburbs to access such services, yet the state-of-the-art Kagiso Memorial and Recreation Centre has been abandoned and is still not fully operational.

The Kagiso Memorial and Recreation Centre has a world-class sporting facility that should be used by the community for different sporting codes such as gymnastics, basketball, aerobics, and squash. There is also a music recording studio that is gathering dust.

This facility has been neglected and left to crumble by the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR).

See the photos here here , here,

The DA conducted an oversight inspection at the Kagiso Memorial and Recreation Centre today as part of the DA Heritage Month Campaign. We discovered that this facility is not fully functional, and some people are using it as a physical fitness centre and charging the community a fee.

We received numerous complaints from community members who claim that they are charged a monthly subscription to use the physical wellness centre.

Making residents pay to use gym equipment owned by the department is a criminal act. We propose that the community should report those people to the department.

Furthermore, the toilets and showers are not working, and the kitchen equipment has never been used.

The heritage artefacts are being stored in a temporary storage room while the R14 million budget allocated for a heritage component disappeared with a service provider.

The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) Mbali Hlophe, must prioritise fixing the infrastructural defects at this facility. This facility must be handed over to Mogale City Local Municipality so that it can benefit the community.

We will also be tabling questions to the MEC demanding answers about the R14 million that disappeared with the service provider. We want to know who the service provider is and what has the department done so far to force the service provider to deliver services or to pay back the money. Thereafter, we will be laying criminal charges against the service provider demanding that it should pay back every cent owed to the department.

We will not allow incompetent service providers that fail to deliver on community projects to steal money meant to better the lives of our people. We will continue to fight to ensure that such service providers face the full might of the law and be blacklisted to do business with the government.

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Vaal residents not benefitting from abandoned Boipatong Monument

The Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) has spent over R12 million in the past five financial years on operational costs for the Boipatong Monument and Youth Centre, yet the monument is still not operational and not benefitting the residents.

The fact that this monument in Vanderbijlpark is still not operational is an insult to the family members of the victims of the Boipatong massacre and the community.

This facility has the potential of boosting local tourism and creating employment opportunities for its residents.

Please see photos here, here, here, and here.

The monument was completed in 2015 and its initial budget was R32 572 833.00 which accrued to R35 199 212.5. Sadly, it remains closed and there are still no computers in the Youth Centre. This means that millions of taxpayer’s monies spent on the construction of this facility and the operational costs will go down the drain because it’s still not functional.

It is alleged that when the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) came to supply computers to the Youth Centre, it also came with its own staff instead of hiring from the community. This angered the community as they expected to benefit from this project.

The DA will demand answers from the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) about project management, the amount paid for operational costs versus the work done. Those found to be complicit in wrongdoing should be taken to task and those that have been unfairly benefited should face all might of the law.

We also demand that MEC Hlophe prioritises ensuring that the Boipatong Monument and Youth Centre is open and functional as a matter of urgency.

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DA approaches Hawks to probe Nhlululo Development theft allegations

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has today, approached the South African Police Services’ Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) Commercial Crimes Unit in Johannesburg to request it to probe the theft allegations against Nhlululo Development.

Nhlululo Development, a service provider appointed by the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), failed to transfer R180 000 meant to assist the Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute with a coaching clinic and capacity building.

Nhlululo Development has disappeared with the money and now the Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute is struggling to offer rugby programmes and nurture grassroots development.

This institution is in financial crisis and in dire need of funds to continue rendering rugby development programmes.

We suspect that there could be corrupt officials involved because the department has been hesitant to investigate this matter.

The DA has approached the Hawks for an urgent investigation into the matter. We will be submitting all the necessary documents to investigate the case.

We have also tabled written questions to the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation MEC, Mbali Hlophe, to ascertain the procedures that were used to appoint Nhlululo Development and to determine what measures the department has taken to ensure that the money is paid to the Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute.

The DA will not rest until this matter is investigated. Those found guilty must pay back every cent to the Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute, face the full might of the law and be blacklisted so that they can no longer do business with government.

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Nhlulu Development must pay back R180 000 due to the Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute

The Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute faces eviction after a service provider, Nhlulu Development, appointed by the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), failed to transfer funds to them meant for a coaching clinic and capacity building.

The young girls who are the beneficiaries of the services rendered by the Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute are at the losing end of the stick. This institute was their only hope of nurturing and honing their rugby skills.

Nhlulu Development was awarded a contract by the department and was supposed to transfer R180 000 to the Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute, which they never did.

The Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute is now in financial crisis and unable to pay for water and electricity bills. As a result, the institute is now facing a third eviction in seven months.

The Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute has also engaged the department on the issue, and they claim that the department told them that it is no longer their problem and that the institute must solve it.

This is unacceptable as the department is the one that contracted a service provider that has failed to deliver. The department must account as the beneficiaries did not receive the funds.

The DA suspects that there could be corrupt officials involved in this issue. We demand that the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mbali Hlophe must institute an urgent investigation into this matter to ascertain whether proper procurement processes were followed when this service provider was appointed.

We will also be opening a case against Nhlulu Development with the South African Police Services’ Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) Commercial Crimes Unit. We want Nhlulo Development to pay back the R180 000 due to the Gauteng Women’s Rugby Institute as a matter of urgency.

 

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ANC fails Benoni community with collapsing OR Tambo Cultural Precinct

The community of Benoni have not yet benefited from the OR Tambo Cultural Precinct which is on a brink of collapsing due to years of neglect by the previous ANC-led Ekurhuleni administration.  

This historic cultural precinct which is named after the renowned liberation stalwart and was meant to boost the local economy is in now shambles. 

The facility is unsuitable for human habitation as it poses a serious safety risk. The ceiling is damaged and falling off, walls have cracks, the exterior walls are also peeling off, and the ablution facilities are not functional.  

This information was discovered during the DA’s oversight inspection at the facility today as part of the DA Gauteng Heritage Month Campaign.

 Please see the photos here, here, and here. 

Since 2018, the DA has been putting pressure on the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) and the previous ANC-led Ekurhuleni municipality to find a plan to fix the structural defects at this monument, however, to date, nothing has been done. 

The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for SACR, Mbali Hlophe provide a detailed report stipulating the amount of money used to build this monument. We also demand to know how much money has been allocated for the maintenance of this facility. 

We will also engage with the DA-led Ekurhuleni Municipality to ascertain what plans they have to revive this heritage facility. We will facilitate the engagement between the department and the metro through the SACR Portfolio Committee at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL). 

Together we will ensure that we revive this monument to its glory and ensure that it is well marketed to attract tourists and investors for the benefit of Benoni residents.

Our heritage and history will not be passed on to future generations if monuments of such importance are left to fall apart. 

 

 

 

 

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Westbury residents struggle with no proper sporting facility as Mabaleng Sports Complex is still incomplete

The Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation’s (SACR) failure to complete the R26million Mabaleng Sports complex continues to deprive the community of Westbury access to a proper sporting facility to nurture grassroots development.

The R25 975 885 facility was meant to be handed over to the City of Joburg by the department in February 2019, but to date, it has not been handed over due to structural issues that need to be fixed.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) conducted an oversight inspection at the Mabaleng Sports Complex and discovered that it was built with cement bricks around the pitches which poses a serious risk to athletes.

Furthermore, the drainage system needs to be fixed as rain causes the pitches to become waterlogged and the ablution blocks have been vandalized.

There are several unfinished and neglected sporting and recreational projects across the province.
Monies are being wasted on these unfinished projects by the department which creates financial strain and prevents it from achieving other deliverables.

The DA insists that the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation’s (SACR), Mbali Hlophe takes full responsibility and ownership of all the department’s infrastructure projects from the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development which constantly fails to complete projects within budget and according to the stipulated timelines.

We will also write to MEC Hlophe to ascertain when the infrastructural defects will be fixed at the Mabaleng Sports complex.

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MEC Hlophe must urgently fix shoddy work at the Women’s Living Heritage Monument

As we celebrate Women’s Month, it is sad that the Women’s Living Heritage Monument in Tshwane is still not fully operational.

This Women’s Living Heritage Monument was erected to honour and commemorate our women who have played a pivotal role in the struggle against apartheid.

This state-of-the-art monument that cost over R200 million was completed in 2018 and almost R80 million has been spent on getting this facility operational.

To date, this monument continues to be non-operational due to shoddy work.

The DA conducted an oversight inspection at the monument and was shocked to discover that the roof is leaking, the lifts are not working, and the fire hydrants are not working.

See pictures here and here

The internal offices meant for the City of Tshwane are small and are not a conducive working environment.

Furthermore, we discovered that the statues of our nation’s female heroines were hidden in the kitchen and are not being used to teach the youth and tourists about our history.

This monument is not serving its purpose and its high time that the MEC of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), Mbali Hlophe fix the shoddy work which is hindering this building from getting its occupational certificate.

We demand the MEC Hlophe prioritises fixing the shoddy work and ensures that an occupational certificate is obtained as soon as possible. This monument has huge potential to grow the local economy and create employment opportunities in the tourism sector.

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Gauteng Department of Sports spends over R58 million on commemorative days while communities lack sporting facilities

Note to Editors: Please find soundbite by Kingsol Chabalala MPL.

Most Gauteng communities do not have access to well-equipped sporting facilities to create a conducive environment for nurturing local talent, yet the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) has spent R58 695 284.6 on commemorative day events in the last six financial years.

Our residents are in dire need of sporting facilities to nurture the local talents as some are still using dusty sporting fields without proper facilities, while this department continues to overspend on commemorative day events.

The millions that were spent on commemorative day events could have been used to build 27 combi courts for R2 million each. This will ensure that all our communities have access to well-equipped sporting facilities and the local sporting club will save costs of travelling to nearby suburbs to access such facilities.

This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), Mbali Hlope in a written reply to the DA’s questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to MEC Hlope, the following monies have been spent for commemorative days in the past six financial years:

  • 2016/ 2017 financial year:  R2 899 060.81
  • 2017/18 financial year: R2 507 611.00
  • 2018/19 financial year: R19 134 827.3
  • 2019/20 financial year: R18 438 970.9
  • 2020/21 financial year: R5 141 737.05
  • 2021/22 financial year: R10 573 077.5

Furthermore, the department claims that these celebrations are essential because Gauteng residents benefit by getting job opportunities, exposure to creativity, job opportunities and prioritisation of nation-building.

Past experience has shown that there is nothing spectacular and beneficiary for artists and residents about these events as only renowned artists are hired to perform.

It was also revealed that the same companies have been benefiting from rendering services at these events. How is the department promoting nation-building if the same people are reaping all the benefits?

The DA believes that commemoration days are important as they form part of our history, but the department must spend wisely and prioritise service delivery.

We will continue to put pressure on MEC Hlophe to ensure that the department reduces overspending on commemorative events. This will ensure that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely and for the benefit of the residents of Gauteng, not only a few individuals who are politically aligned to the department.

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Over R100 million worth of heritage monuments are still not operational with no benefits to residents

Note to editors: Please find attached an English soundbite by Kingsol Chabalala MPL.

Over the past eleven years, the residents of Gauteng have been expecting the full functionality of the Women’s Living Monument, Boipatong Monument, and the Kagiso Memorial which remain not fully operational.

These monuments have cost the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) over R100 million, yet they are not benefiting the residents of Gauteng.

The Women’s Living Heritage Monument was initiated in 2012 and was meant to be completed in 2015, but the construction of the facility was only completed in August 2018.  However, some of the heritage work is yet to be installed. Delays in the completion of this project have had a financial impact as the initial budget of R151 861 075.59 accrued to R205 693 734.18.

The Boipatong Monument and Youth Centre were initiated in 2011 and were supposed to be completed in 2012 but were only completed in November 2015. The initial budget was R32 572 833.00 which accrued to R35 199 212.5.

The Kagiso Memorial was built in 2014 and was opened in 2016 with a budget of R39 501 852.00 and is still not fully operational.

The unnecessary delays by the department in the completion of these monuments are denying our youth access to empowerment and up-skilling opportunities which could be offered by these facilities.

Furthermore, these facilities have the potential to boost local tourism and attract investment to grow the local economy. By so doing, they create employment opportunities in our townships.

The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR), Mbali Hlophe must ensure that these monuments are fully operational as a matter of urgency. MEC Hlophe must conduct an audit on the current status quo of these monuments and provide a comprehensive plan to ensure that these monuments are fully operational and deliver services to our people. The DA will not sit by and allow MEC Hlophe to waste such precious monuments that are meant to benefit our people.