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The Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries has told the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality not to commit funds on Red Location Museum without a detailed empirical information that will inform a workable business plan.
The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Makhi Feni, lamented the extent of decay in community infrastructure within the municipality. He said that it was shocking and unacceptable.
“There seems to be no care on government funded projects. The common thing about these projects is that they are within the communities and should serve to stimulate and drive economic activity in the townships,” said Mr Feni.
He added: “Vandalism took over everything but people and officials allowed for it to set in. That is why we are at this quagmire; this is government money.”
In the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, the committee visited the Red Location Museum, Dan Qeqe Stadium, KwaNobuhle Sports complex, Kyuga Sports Facility, and St Johns Swimming Pool.
Mr Feni said the committee was to spend money to visit the sites and be given the kinds of reports it received. “We are entirely disappointed with the collapse and the ruin we found on projects that are meant to be viable. It is evidently clear that the decay is a characteristic of Metro assets.”
Mr Feni said if the decay is allowed to manifest and expand as it has, what claim to legitimacy does the Metro have. “It is so sad that millions keep being allocated to refurbishing and reviving projects that should self sustain like the Red Location Museum.”
He said the committee will make firm recommendations with clear timeframes that it will strictly monitor every six months. “The Bay Metro must perhaps prepare to frequent committee meetings, the state of affairs in the Bay is unacceptable.”
The committee will visit Bay schools and TVET colleges on Friday.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.