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They spent more of taxpayer’s money conducting an environmental impact assessment study, feasibility study, installing a borehole, and doing designs of the buildings. However, to date from 2012, over R151 million taxpayer’s money has already been spent on this project with nothing to show for it because no investors have come forward. The site is still a grown bush to this day. – Jane Sithole, DA

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Sizwe sama Yende

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Twelve years later, Mpumalanga government has spent R151 million on cultural hub construction project but no single brick has been laid.

The site for the project near White River is an overgrown piece of land. However, the Department of Public Works has been pumping money every financial year towards this project whose aim was enable the province to groom and produce creative artists, including musicians and actors, as well as television and film producers.

The cultural hub is one of former premier David Mabuza’s brainchildren, which are today draining government coffers yet they only exist on paper.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) this week said that it intended to stop government from spending more money on the cultural hub.

Mpumalanga DA leader, Jane Sithole, said the party had written to the Treasury minister, Enock Godongwana, urging him to urgently stop this project in its entirety as it had not benefited the residents of Mpumalanga, but only corrupt government officials.

“The provincial government could have employed more doctors, nurses or teachers instead of wasting money on nothing,” Sithole said.

Back in 2011, the provincial government quantified the project’s construction at a cost of R3.8 billion. The capital, Mabuza said, would be sourced from investors.

In the 2012/2013 financial year government secured 20.9 hectares of land in White River worth about R143.8 million for the cultural hub.

“They spent more of taxpayer’s money conducting an environmental impact assessment study, feasibility study, installing a borehole, and doing designs of the buildings. However, to date from 2012, over R151 million taxpayer’s money has already been spent on this project with nothing to show for it because no investors have come forward. The site is still a grown bush to this day,” Sithole said.

According to the 2023/2024 3rd Quarter Report of the Mpumalanga Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, another R 1.6 million has been paid recently to a transactional advisor to do and submit a third version of the revised bankable feasibility study.

“We therefore question how millions of taxpayer’s monies will be paid conducting never-ending feasibility studies on this project, yet nothing has materialized. That is one of the reasons the DA is protesting against more money being poured into it,” Sithole said.

This is however not the only white elephant conceptualised in Mabuza’s era as premier.

Another cash drain is the R9 billion Emakhazeni High Altitude Training Centre.

The Emakhazeni centre was supposed to produce stars in soccer, swimming, rugby, running, boxing, wrestling, basketball and cricket. It would also groom young in sports such as judo, karate, kayaking, cycling and gymnastics.

The construction of this facility stalled before it began. Mabuza announced back then that the government would partner with the Portuguese government. However, due to the economic meltdown, the deal fell through.

Like the cultural hub, the Emakhazeni High Altitude Training Centre is not progressing due to unavailability of investors, and is also draining the government’s coffers.

In 2021, Public Works Department awarded tenders worth R86.9 million for the construction of a 7ML reservoir in Emakhazeni (formerly Belfast) and bulk water supply pipeline construction.

The People’s Eye could not get the latest figures, but in 2022 the Mpumalanga government had spent a total amount of R199.2 million on the project, including R112.3 million used to purchase land where the centre will be built in Emakhazeni. The money was used to conduct an environmental impact assessment study, design the buildings, draw up a masterplan and draft a bankable feasibility study.

Emakhazeni is perched 2 100m above sea level and is an ideal location for athletic training. It is already attracting runners, cyclists and ice skaters from all over the world, who visit the nearby tourist town of Dullstroom to prepare themselves for major events.