Note to editors: Please find the attached English soundbite by Jade Miller MPL.
The Kagiso Extension 6 Library is meant to be a crucial educational resource for the Kagiso community, but it has remained unopened since its completion in September 2019. This situation is particularly disappointing, especially considering the substantial investment of R19.7 million in taxpayer money spent on getting this library up and running.
This was discovered during a recent oversight visit by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Sports Arts Culture Recreation (SACR) committee, where several issues related to infrastructure failure were brought to light:
– Construction began in April 2014 and was completed in September 2019, yet the facility still lacks a building occupancy certificate.
– Poor workmanship by the previous contractor necessitates extensive remedial work.
– Despite commitments in the 2022/23 Annual Report to conduct planned maintenance, independent verification in November 2023 revealed no work had commenced.
– The facility is currently listed among the 21% of provincial infrastructure classified as being in “bad condition”.
– The department’s promised eight-month renovation plan, scheduled for completion by 31 March 2024, has shown no signs of progress.
See photos here, here, and here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng calls on the DSACR to continue pushing the Gauteng Provincial Treasury to prioritise releasing money for the infrastructure of libraries in our province. We will be tabling questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to ascertain how many libraries are incomplete, how many have been completed but are not operational, and how many have been abandoned. We will use the information to petition the department to prioritise completing the libraries’ infrastructure and ensure that they are fully operational for the benefit of Gauteng residents. We will also table a motion in the GPL on the library infrastructure to push the department to deliver and the Gauteng Provincial Treasury to release money.
The DA will also send a letter to the MEC of Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo, requesting that appropriate actions be taken against the officials responsible for the completion and opening of libraries in Gauteng. We demand that these officials be replaced by a more honest and competent team.
While the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture, and Recreation (DSACR) points to budget constraints and alleged lack of support from the Provincial Treasury, the reality is that this represents a decade of failed service delivery to the Kagiso community.
A DA Gauteng provincial government would have ensured that Kagiso library is open upon completion to foster learning, promote literacy, and support the local community’s educational development. We would also have hired competent service providers with a reputation for delivering quality infrastructure projects within the stipulated timelines and budget. In addition, we would have ensured adequate project management and monitoring of projects to avoid unnecessary delays, poor workmanship and a waste of funds.