The Deputy Minister of Public Works, Sihle Zikalala, has publicly expressed outrage over the failed renovation of the Park Road Police Station, a project that began in 2016 and remains an incomplete construction site after three separate contractors abandoned the work.
The project, which was intended to renovate and upgrade the critical police facility, has seen a staggering R51 million of public funds paid out with little to show for it. The situation has severely hampered police operations, leaving the station without a fully operational community service center and without any detention facilities.
According to the Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane, the project ground to a halt 18 months ago after the third contractor deserted the site.
Deputy Minister Zikalala revealed that the initial project cost agreed upon with the client department was R31 million, but it ballooned to R51 million due to escalations.
“Now what we’re working on is to ensure that… one, that it is properly investigated. Is it within the scope of work that was initially agreed on? Secondly, is it that the cost that were incurred during the terminations are included or not?” stated Zikalala. He acknowledged the project is a major concern and that the provincial department is learning lessons from its failures to apply to other problematic projects.
The Department of Public Works conceded that such delays directly affect service delivery. Furthermore, Deputy Minister Zikalala was informed of additional departmental failures, including that project managers from his own department frequently fail to attend crucial meetings, creating payment delays and stalling progress. Station staff reported they only see these officials when they are “demanding intervention.”
In a subsequent interview, Deputy Minister Zikalala confirmed the dire details and promised a full investigation and accountability. He explained the convoluted history: the first contractor was terminated for poor performance, while a subsequent one was allegedly terminated for not being paid on time by the implementing agency.
Zikalala placed significant blame on the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the independent implementing agency responsible for appointing and monitoring the contractors. He also faulted his own department’s officials for a failure in project management.
“This seems to be a failure on the side of the department and on the side of the implementing agency, the Development Bank of Southern Africa,” Zikalala said.
When confronted about the apparent lack of due diligence and consequences over the nine-year period, the Deputy Minister outlined a new action plan. He vowed to pursue cost recovery, stating, “those contractors that were paid and couldn’t or didn’t do work [must] pay back the money to government.” He said the DBSA has been tasked with initiating legal action against the companies.
Internally, Zikalala promised a process of “consequence management” to identify and hold accountable departmental officials responsible for negligence. The project will now be placed on a weekly tracking system with monthly reports submitted directly to his office.
The unfinished police station stands as a stark symbol of broader systemic issues within state projects, where millions in taxpayer funds can vanish without completed work or immediate accountability. The community now waits to see if the Deputy Minister’s promised interventions will finally deliver the police station they were promised nearly a decade ago.
