EDITORIAL | Insanity to give BCMDA another R200m for defunct Water World

Residents of any city should celebrate when informed thatnational government intended giving it a R200m shotin the arm for a project that would boost tourism, enhance the local economy and provide entertainment for local families. That money is reportedly to go towards theBuffalo City Metropolitan Development Agency’s (BCMDA)Water World Fun Park project. But any excitement any resident may feel will be sorely tempered by the fact that the project is a complete ruin despite the R125m pumped into it to date.

In fact, the news that another R200m will be given to the same metro agency that so badly mismanaged the project seems like an April Fool’s joke. The agency is supposed to carry out projects on BCM’s behalf. But, as it turns out, neither entity seems to have any project management skills whatsoever.

All they do is create more work for theSpecial Investigating Unit (SIU). And yet, while that investigation is pending, government suggests it is willing to invest more. The entire project looks considerably worse than before the ‘upgrades’ started The Mdantsane pool projectreportedly cost more than R70m, with nothing to show for it but a vandalised mess.

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The entire project looks considerably worse than before the ‘upgrades’ started. And the R125m spent on the Water World Fun Park has delivered nothing but disputes with incapable contractors, vandalised infrastructure, cracked cement pools, collapsed slides and the inevitable conclusion that everything must be scrapped and the project started from scratch.

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