Mam’ Winnie’s memorial house in Brandfort to be completed next year

It is expected that construction work to transform Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s house in Brandfort, to where she was banished by the apartheid government, into a museum will be completed by March 2019.

This was announced by deputy minister of arts and culture Makhotso Magdeline Sotyu during a question and answer session in the national council of Provinces (NCOP).

The project – turning the house into a museum – has been dogged by allegations of corruption while the house remains in a dilapidated state.

During the period of mourning for Madikizela-Mandela, before she was laid to rest, former cabinet minister Trevor Manuel expressed his irritation over the inability of the Free State government, and in particular its former premier and now ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, to honour its promise of restoring the house.

The ANC in the Free State hit back at Manual, saying no money had been misappropriated from the project.

Sotyu said for the 2011/2012 financial year, R3 million had been budgeted for the project and that an entity of the Department of Public Works, the Independent Development Trust (IDT) was appointed as the implementing agent.

She said just over R1.8 million was then transferred to the IDT.

Responding to a two-part question by the Democratic Alliance (DA’s) Chris Hattingh on how much has already been  spent on renovations of the house, Sotyu said the IDT had:

• Appointed an architect that was paid R476 000 for architectural work, and
• Appointed a contractor for R117 543 for the preliminary establishment of a site.

The deputy minister said the department of arts and culture (DAC) then terminated its relationship with the IDT on November 9, 2016, when it learned through the findings of an investigation that the department had not received value for money.

With no contractor on site, the DAC appointed another company to install a perimeter, a guard house with running water and toilet facilities for an amount of R143 098.

She said a local security services company was appointed to provide a 24-hour security service for three months starting from December 2017 to March 2018 at R88 560.

Sotyu said a new implementing agent has been appointed at a cost just over R1.9 million to complete the restoration and construction work of the house and that the agent has been paid R65 691 so far.

She said designs and plans are in place and that Madikizela-Mandela’s family is yet to be consulted for the approval of these.

Sotyu said once all stakeholders have approved the plans and designs – a process which it is expected will be concluded by July this year – then a contractor will be appointed to undertake the actual construction work which is anticipated to be completed by March 2019.

The DA’s Chris Hattingh, who submitted the question, said Madikizela-Mandela’s memorial house is another cash cow for unscrupulous officials, politicians and “tenderpreneurs”.

He questioned whether those responsible for the money wasted in the project in the past decade would be held responsible and whether those funds would be recovered.

The deputy minister said as the DAC took over the project in 2012, it is not aware of what had transpired before that but it had, however, requested that the former premier of the Free State, Magashule, provide relevant information that would bring the department up to speed.

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