MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / Urgent answers sought regarding newly revamped R99 Million East London beachfront park

Urgent answers sought regarding newly revamped R99 Million East London beachfront park

Dear Editor

Today, 30 November 2023, the newly upgraded Beachfront Court Crescent was launched with much fanfare in East London, while many issues regarding maintenance, safety and security, shoddy workmanship and the scope of work remain unanswered.

The court crescent, that has been renamed Leighandre “Baby Lee” Jegels Park, has cost the municipality more than R99 million, after R87 million was budgeted for the revamp, and saw 18 months of delays from the initial completion date three years ago.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Buffalo City Metro (BCM) has been concerned about this vanity project from the onset for a number of reasons:

  1. The excessive cost given that the Metro is desperately in need of infrastructure upgrading.
  2. The ongoing delays in the project completion resulting in a lack of confidence in the Buffalo City Metro Development Agency’s (BCMDA) ability to manage a big project.
  3. The increasing budget.
  4. A Facebook post from three years ago mentioned the project was expected to create 75 jobs whereas it has been confirmed that it only sustained “over 49 jobs”.
  5. The change in the scope of work of the project.
  6. The lack of reporting to Council during the process. A response to a Notice of Question tabled by the DA asking about the detail in the changes of the scope of work has been ignored.
  7. The shoddy workmanship and materials used as the newly configured Moore Street has been plagued with potholes and the roofs of the hawkers’ stalls have already been damaged by the wind.
  8. Although BCM advertised for an entity to manage the maintenance and security of the precinct, it has now been handed back to the Metro to manage at a time when the municipality has no cash flow to undertake these functions.

The DA will now table further questions to force the municipality to provide answers regarding the viability and longevity of the project and to keep it from becoming an expensive white elephant.

The family of the late Baby Lee Jegels deserve her name to be given to a functional, well maintained and safe development and the DA will do continual oversight of this precinct to hold the municipality and the BCMDA to account.

Regards

Cllr Sue Bentley
DA Buffalo City Caucus Leader

Category: Tag: ,

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • Fun South African fact

    Dear Editor Fun South African fact: towns like Franschhoek and Stellenbosch are home to world-class wine farms set in stunning, scenic surroundings. Regards Aressa Smith In Response to/From: Luxury Properties Seized in New Lottery Crackdown

  • Condolences on the Passing of Lusanda Dumke

    Statement by Leander Kruger MPL – DA Buffalo City Constituency Leader: The Democratic Alliance in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality mourns the passing of Springbok Women’s rugby player and Mdantsane trailblazer, Lusanda Dumke, who lost her battle with cancer at the age of 28. South Africa has lost an exceptional athlete, a leader, and a source…

  • Rape Kits Delivered, But…

    Statement by Nicholas Gotsell MP – DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice: The DA can confirm that 2 840 rape kits arrived in Cape Town on Monday, following sustained DA oversight and pressure after multiple police stations across the Western Cape were found to be without this critical forensic evidence tool. While this delivery…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fun South African Fact: It’s believed that Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain is one of the oldest mountains in the world. Table mountain is approximately 260 million years old; it’s also home to thousands of species of plant life, including species unique to the Cape Floral Region. The glorious mountain is one of the world’s 7 Recent Natural Wonders. It is also apparently one of 12 main energy centres on the planet emitting spiritual, magnetic, and electric energies. It’s an idyllic and very popular hiking destination with hundreds of routes to explore.