Question NW1166 to the Minister of Arts and Culture
07 May 2018 - NW1166
Figg, Mr MJ to ask the Minister of Arts and Culture
(a)When did the construction of the Sarah Bartmann Centre Heritage Project in Hankey commence, (b) what was the initial budget, (c) which company was awarded the contract for construction, (d) what is the current status of work and/or tasks that (i) have been completed and/or (ii) are still outstanding, (d) on what date was the project scheduled to be completed, and (e) why has the project not been completed on the due date; 2. Whether it is projected that the spending on the project will exceed the allocated budget; if so, by what amount? (NW 1260 E)
Reply:
1. (a) The construction of the Sarah Bartmann Centre of Remembrance commenced on 14 April 2014, (b) the budget is R164 386 247.29, (c) Lubbe Construction was awarded the contract for the construction, through the Supply Chain Management process overseen and implemented by the Department of Public Works. The Department of Public Works is the Project Manager for Government projects. The contract was ceded to Transtruct Building and Civil Contractors Pty Ltd in October 2017. Transtruct Building and Civil Contractors Pty Ltd took possession of the site on 07 December 2017 and commenced work on the Sarah Bartmann Grave site. Worked commenced in January 2018 after the December festive season, (d) the current status of work/and or tasks (i) completed are the by-pass road which links the Northern and Southern sections of the precinct; (ii) still outstanding are the completion of the Northern administration precinct and Southern museums, installation of the exhibition, art work, and final completion of the grave site, (d) the Centre was scheduled to be completed in 14 October 2016, and (e) the reason for the delay in completion is multi-faceted. The original contractor, Lubbe Construction experienced cash-flow problems which became problematic over the period of the contract. Despite intervention meetings between the Department of Public Works who is the Project Implementation entity for Government, to seek a resolution to the cash-flow problems, Lubbe Construction indicated that they would cede the project to Transtruct Building and Civil Contractors Pty Ltd. The worker strike in October 2016, which was a result of the cash-flow problems, added to the delays on the project timeline.
2. It is projected that the budget might increase due to remedial work that needs to be undertaken caused by poor workmanship, erosion caused by the drought, and the installation of art work which was provided for as a provisional sum on the construction contract; the final sum is being calculated by the Quantity Surveyors appointed on the project, and will be communicated to the Department of Arts and Culture by the Department of Public Works.