The provincial government is so confident of finally realising its decade-long dream of constructing the ambitious R1.6bn Bhisho office park precinct that premier Oscar Mabuyane has vowed to resign if the start of the project is not realised by the end of 2025.
The province is giving the mega-project another try, after numerous previous failures, with Mabuyane telling the House during his recent policy speech in the Bhisho legislature that he did not see a future for himself as the province’s political head if the project could not be realised in 2025.
The project is more than 10 years overdue and to date there is nothing to show for the R65m already spent on it.
First mooted in 2013, the precinct was supposed to accommodate seven provincial government departments, which lease office space at an annual reported cost of about R200m.
The departments include human settlements; transport; social development; community safety and liaison; sports, recreation, arts and culture; rural development and agrarian reform; and economic development and environmental affairs.
In 2015, it seemed all systems go, with construction then set to begin in 2016 and three years given to complete the project.
But in 2022, Mabuyane said in reply to a question in the legislature that the first two bids to secure a developer had failed, with not a single bid submitted.
The third bid was cancelled due to Covid-19 regulations and changes in space requirements.
At that time, about R38m had been spent on concept designs and plans.
And so, Mabuyane said, another attempt to get the project off the ground had started with a closed bid to SOEs meant to be finalised in September 2022.
In the event that this bid failed, Mabuyane promised contingency plans were in place for open bids to be published.
Fast forward to 2024, and not much had happened despite the amount spent almost doubling to R65m.
However, Mabuyane is confident things will change this year.
Speaking to the Dispatch, he said he had placed the project under his “microscopic view”.
“This is the project that I have given space, allowing people to do as they please, but I have sensed a lot of upheavals around it, hence I’ve just put it under the [microscope].
“The project must be done and I can tell you now, if it cannot be done, why would I remain a premier, why would I be here, if it does not start by this year?
“That is why I said by the 30th of this month [April], the project must be launched. So we will be handing over the site and doing a sod-turning,” Mabuyane said.
“The MEC [of public works and infrastructure, Siphokazi Lusithi] knows, the HOD knows, so if I don’t go, others are going.”
Mabuyane said there had been “a lot of upheaval” around this project, “which I cannot really put my finger on”.
He said this time there would be no excuses: “I do not care whose interests are [involved] or who wants to benefit. What I want is the project. I am not interested in talking.”
Over the years, the project was also delayed by BCM’s moratorium on developments around Bhisho, Qonce and the surrounding areas because of the lack of adequate water and sewerage infrastructure in the area.
This as treatment works in Bhisho, Breidbach, Schornville and Zwelitsha had been operating above capacity for years now.
The moratorium is yet to be lifted as the metro grapples with completing the multimillion-rand Zwelitsha wastewater treatment works, a project where over R400m has already been spent by the city, while the project remains in ruin.
But Mabuyane said plans were in place to counter this challenge, which had hampered other major developments and planned housing.
“Yes, the development was hampered by the lack of such bulk infrastructure, but the designs and plans that had been developed now have taken care of that for short term to medium.
“But for long term, BCM has been working around the development of that area in terms of bulk infrastructure, particularly for water and sewer, so we believe that the project is going to go ahead.”
Delivering her department’s policy speech last week, Lusithi said the department was “making steady progress” in seeing Mabuyane’s dream realised.
“This flagship initiative represents a bold and transformative vision for government infrastructure and service delivery in our provincial capital.
“In alignment with our commitment to explore alternative, innovative and sustainable infrastructure funding models, the department is implementing the Bhisho precinct through a blended model that transitions from a private-public partnership to a public-public partnership.
“This approach has enabled the appointment of the Coega Development Consortium as the implementing agent,” Lusithi said.
The project, Lusithi said, was more than just a construction project “but a catalyst for economic development and social transformation”.
She said the site handover at the end of April would mark a critical milestone, “not only as the physical start of the project, but as a tangible step towards turning the premier’s vision into a lived reality for the people of the Eastern Cape”.
“The construction phase and post-construction operational phase will unlock significant economic opportunities, particularly for local SMMEs, while creating much-needed employment opportunities for our people.
“Through inclusive procurement and job creation strategies, this initiative will foster local economic development, empower communities, and contribute to building a capable and developmental state.
“The progress made in the Bhisho Precinct reaffirms our commitment to using infrastructure as a driver of inclusive growth and a tool to bring government closer to the people,” a confident Lusithi said.
Daily Dispatch
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