Gauteng residents will have to wait a little longer to benefit from the Women’s Living Heritage Monument in Tshwane. The monument is still not operational, despite the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture, and Recreation (SACR) spending over R280 million on construction and operational costs.
Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) conducted an oversight inspection at the Women’s Living Heritage Monument. We found the situation at the heritage site, which features heroic statues of four females valued at R24 million, to be deeply concerning.
Upon arrival, the DA team was denied access to the premises and threatened by Ward Councillor Conrad Ngobeni. Permission was only granted after the DA Interim Constituency Chair contacted the Chief of the Metro Police in Tshwane to report the matter.
Our inspection revealed that the monument is still not operational since its completion in 2018 due to shoddy workmanship which has resulted in the City of Tshwane not issuing the certificate of occupancy. These include non-compliant fire safety systems, roof leaks, and poor plumbing, among others.
See pictures here, here, here and here.
Millions of rands have been wasted yet this monument is still not operational despite its potential to attract tourists and create employment opportunities for the residents of Tshwane and Gauteng.
The DA has consistently exposed the Department of SACR for failing to complete infrastructure projects and for exceeding budgets. The longer the Women’s Living Monument remains non-operational and inaccessible, the higher the risk of being vandalised and the invaluable monuments being stolen.
The DA demands that the MEC for SACR, Matome Chiloane, prioritise addressing the security concerns inhibiting this facility from obtaining a certificate of occupancy and becoming fully functional.
The DA will continue to exert pressure on the MEC by posing questions and member statements in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to ensure this monument and others in the province become operational.
We cannot allow such a significant monument, which holds valuable heritage, to remain unused while taxpayers’ money is being spent annually to keep it operational and serving the people of our province.