This is what taxpayers got for R250 million

It has been over a decade since construction started on the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance in Hankey, Eastern Cape – but R247.3 million later, the project is not even halfway through.

Sarah “Saartjie” Baartman was a Khoikhoi woman born around 1789 within the Gamtoos Valley in the Eastern Cape. Orphaned during a commando raid attack, Baartman was enslaved and eventually taken to London, where she was exhibited as a human novelty.

She was later sold to an animal trainer in France, where she was further exploited. Baartman died in Paris in 1815, and her body was dissected and displayed in the Musée de l’Homme until 1974.

After a lengthy political process, Baartman’s remains were eventually returned to South Africa in 2002 and her burial site in Hankey, Eastern Cape, was set aside as a sacred place.

In April 2014, a tender was awarded for a R164.4 million project to honor and document the life of Sarah Baartman, as well as the heritage of the Khoi-San and coloured communities.

The project, named the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance, was decided to be built on the sacred site of Hankey.

The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC) was set to be its sponsor and implementing agent to oversee its targeted completion of 2016.

However, it has been plagued by delays since.

To date, R247.3 million has been spent (~R83 million overbudget), but construction remains 37% complete due to the project being “rife with corruption and abuse” (as Parliament’s Sports, Arts and Culture committee chairperson Joe McGluwa put it).

There are many reasons given for the delays and budget overruns.

The first contractor, Lubbe Construction, had a 30-month contract worth R168 million, starting in April of 2014 and ending on 14 October 2016.

According to the DSAC, this contractor failed to complete the project due to labour disputes, “cash-flow challenges,” and ultimatelty exceed its initial budget by R21 million.

The contract was then assigned to a second company, Transtruct Building and Civil Contractors, and was extended to August 2020. The contract was then valued at R219 million after adjustments and variations.

Then, delays with the second contractor arose from what the DCAS have described, poor-quality work needing R9 million in repairs, payment disputes, Covid-19 lockdowns, and slow approval of extensions.

Ultimately, the contractor terminated the contract on July 21, 2021, after receiving R3.1 million in late payments, citing unresolved issues with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).

The matter was then escalated to the Ministers of both departments and it was agreed to then allocate the project to the Development Bank of SA (DBSA) as the implementing agent.

In July 2023, DBSA accepted the project after a lengthy due diligence process.

Initial contractor procurement attempts in September/October 2023 failed but ultimately, a third contractor was appointed in January 2024, with site handover in February 2024.

A contract amount of R83 million was been set, and a completion deadline of 31 March 2025.

Not good enough

After a recent site visit, DA MP Liam Jacobs, a member of the Sports, Arts and Culture committee, said that while his party was not surprised, the situation is profound and disrespectful to the legacies the centre promises to honour.

He said that he doubts that the project will be completed within the one-year plan that was presented to Parliament “because they have been working on this for 10 years and throughout [that time], it is apparent that there’s a lack of will to actually complete it.”

Jacobs cited that the initial R164 million budget ballooned to R247.3 million, with an additional R2 million spent on consultants.

Jacobs said that despite multiple contractors reporting cash flow problems—after being paid— that “shoddy workmanship” defines much of the current state of the project.

“Throughout the process, there was no consequence management and nobody was held accountable even though many stakeholders were involved from a government level.

“It has seen poor planning and budget management and a lack of project management as the causes of incompletion,” added Jacobs.

Jacobs also said that the situation is an indictment of the Hankey community, which was promised jobs and a reduction in inequality through the centre’s construction. The project aims to highlight the often-neglected histories, yet its implementation “has neglected the community.”

Khoi-San chief Wayne Peterson told recently told The Herald that the Khoi and San people had nothing that honoured them in the country.

“The one thing that is supposed to be our pride is taking long to complete. We are unhappy with the management and delivery of the project,” said Peterson.

Recently, DPWI Minister Dean Macpherson rejected a joint report by the DPWI and the DSAC on the completion of the centre.

“In my discussions with (DSAC) Minister Gayton McKenzie, we both agree that the progress which has been achieved in the centre remains wholly inadequate and that serious action needs to be taken to limit any further wastage of taxpayer money.

“Not only have both departments failed to brief the Ministers on the report presented to Parliament, but it furthermore is simply unacceptable that despite three contractors being involved in the project over a period of 10 years, construction has not even been halfway completed with further delays expected,” said Macpherson.

The two ministers said that they are set to meet to chart a way forward.

The AG made recommendations to ensure the completion of the project, which includes close monitoring and active project management.

Jacobs said they “demand a forensic audit to hold accountable those who have harmed Sarah Baartman’s legacy and ensure the dignity of the centre, as well as respect for the Khoi, San, and Coloured people.”

“It’s essential to create jobs for the people of Hankey and promote social cohesion,” through this project, and Jacobs welcomed with cautious optimism the recommendations to realise the completion of the centre, but doubts that the deadline will be met.

Ideas from the DSAC on the way forward can be found here, emphasising closer collaboration with the DPWI.

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