Dear Editor
This week the DA conducted an oversight visit to the stalled KwaDukuza Home Affairs office construction site.
What we found is a project standing at roughly 70% completion, but abandoned, fenced off, and guarded by private security at ongoing cost to the taxpayer.
See photos here, here and here.
This project was initially due for completion in 2023. However, repeated failures and delays under previous leadership at the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) have left the building incomplete and unusable.
In the meantime, the residents of KwaDukuza are left to endure unacceptable conditions:
- Queues forming as early as 3am, with many turned away by 4pm without services;
- Reports of queue spaces being informally sold, leaving desperate citizens forced to pay for basic access to services;
- A current DHA office far too small to cope with demand, creating frustration, lost time, and indignity for thousands of residents.
The DA will write to DPWI and Minister Dean Macpherson and request:
- A clear explanation as to why the appointed contractor failed to deliver, and what consequence management has been taken;
- The full extent of overspending on this project to date; and
- A detailed and realistic plan with timelines to ensure the fast-tracked completion of the KwaDukuza Home Affairs office.
This is not just a building site, it is a symbol of how past failures undermine service delivery and betray the public. Every rand wasted on delays and private security is money stolen from the people who queue daily for services that should be their right.
With the new energy and accountability that Minister Macpherson has brought to the department, we look forward to hearing the plan he has to address the project left incomplete by the previous administration.
The DA is determined to ensure that public assets are used for public good, and that projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the benefit of communities.
The people of KwaDukuza, and South Africa at large, deserve better services. Minister Macpherson now has the opportunity to fix this inherited mess, and the DA will work to ensure accountability and delivery for the dignity of all.
Regards
Bonginkosi Madikizela MP
DA Spokesperson on Public Works and Infrastructure