Mental hospital becoming monument of corruption

3 April 2014

The Democratic Alliance is deeply concerned by reported further delays in the completion of the Kimberley Mental Hospital, which is only 35% complete despite having been under construction for nine years.

It came to light during a recent legislature committee meeting with Provincial Treasury that, due to a failure on the part of the Northern Cape departments of Health and Education, the infrastructure money intended for these departments has now been placed in a pool of unused funds. As a result, both departments will now have to bid for these allocations in order to undertake any new projects.

The likelihood therefore exists that these departments may well lose out on this money. In other words, funding to complete the already exorbitantly priced mental hospital could well dry up, leaving the colossal structure standing incomplete.

The due date keeps getting moved forward, and now we have been told that it will take at least another three years to complete the facility.   Already the costs have run over R1 billion. How much more must taxpayers fork out for this structure? 

I have already raised this very matter with Premier Sylvia Lucas.

In the interests of the taxpayer, I also want to know why Andrew Scholtz, who previously wrote a letter to National SCOPA Chair, Themba Godi, has not yet been subpoenaed to account.

The Northern Cape government must put a plan on the table to get this thing finished quickly and in a cost-effective manner.

A DA government would put a stop to the waste and ensure that quality mental health services are delivered to all the people of the Northern Cape.

Statement issued by Andrew Louw, DA Northern Cape Premier Candidate, April 3 2014

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