Vredefort’s Impact Crater Center might open its doors after all
The Department of Tourism this week confirmed that the Vredefort Impact Crater Centre just outside Parys along the R59, which had been standing empty and dilapidated for almost 15 years, will finally open its doors to the public to grow tourism in the area.
The Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) appointed Durapi Consulting Pty Ltd as the professional service provider in 2022 to refurbish and complete the existing exhibition centre, kiosk and ablution facilities, craft market, amphitheatre and guard house, and instal a new fence. The contractor will also be responsible for renovating and constructing ramps and walkways for accessibility to the existing exhibition centre, building a parking area, installing signage, and general landscaping.
The Department of Tourism has funded the project, totalling R24,160,892.96, which must be completed in the 2024/25 financial year.
Prof. Roger Gibson from Wits University visited the site with Mr Brandon Canham in 2022 to brief him on the original exhibition plans, dating from 2009, and inspect the state of the display materials that were moved to the site before anyone identified the earlier building problems.
As a subject expert, Prof. Gibson assembled a design team and subcontractors with the management assistance of Wits Enterprise. According to him, Fezile Dabi District Municipality (FDDM) sponsored the project, which entailed creating a scientific exhibition spanning astronomy, meteorites and impact cratering, focusing on the Vredefort impact event and geology of the Vredefort Dome. It could not be completed, however, owing to repeated delays caused by the building problems. The design team then had to be disbanded.
Sadly, one of the centrepieces of the exhibition, a 2×2 m painted relief model of the Dome, was slightly damaged when Prof. Gibson saw it in 2022. As the building work commenced, he asked permission to remove it in case it got damaged further. When the site team took it out of the storage room, it appeared that is what happened, with the tops of several hills being chipped off.
In response to the Gazette’s enquiry about the planned exhibitions in the centre, the Department said FDDM was in discussion with the university.
The Vredefort Dome is an internationally acknowledged geological wonder and heritage jewel for South Africa that attracts numerous local and international visitors annually. Although the Vredefort Dome area needs an interpretation centre, the millions in taxpayer money wasted on a building that has been nothing but a white elephant for years has been criticised widely and described as an international embarrassment. For many tour guides and tourists visiting the area, the building standing empty and dilapidated while signs lead you there had been a shame.
The centre was completed in August 2008, but the construction was so poor that it could never be used because it was considered unsafe.
Since then, it has fallen into the hands of looters.
