Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is deeply alarmed by the consistent pattern of delays, cost overruns, and governance failures reported in the Development Bank of Southern Africa’s (DBSA) update to the Portfolio Committee on Tourism. Despite R788 million spent and a project pipeline stretching across all nine provinces, the evidence shows that South Africans are not getting value for money.
Every single one of the 10 tourism infrastructure projects currently under construction is behind schedule. Sites like Royal Khalanga Lodge are nearly two years overdue, while the Vredefort Dome project has had not one, but two contractors terminated. To make matters worse, DBSA continues to recycle the same project managers. Penalties for delays appear ineffective, and cost overruns are staggering. The Oaks Lodge project in Limpopo has reached 183% of its original budget, with no clear accountability.
The DA calls for a temporary halt on new DBSA-managed tourism infrastructure projects until existing issues are addressed, audits are complete, and feasibility plans are in place:
- Completion and audit of all delayed or over-budget projects, including forensic investigations into those exceeding 50% cost escalation;
- Clear and up-to-date feasibility studies must be conducted for all future projects — particularly ones like the Cradock Four Garden and Platfontein Lodge, where there’s no sign of a plan to keep the sites running once built; and
- Public-private partnerships (PPPs) must be prioritised, not neglected. The total lack of private-sector involvement, despite R62 million earmarked for projects like the Mafikeng Hotel School, threatens long-term viability and innovation.
The DBSA’s presentation confirmed what the DA has long warned: the Bank is managing billions of rands with insufficient project and contract oversight, minimal intergovernmental coordination, and poor compliance with green building and universal accessibility policies. Why are so many completed projects not operational, not revenue-generating, and still disconnected from basic services like water and electricity?
The DBSA is contracted directly by the Department of Tourism and resides under Treasury.
South Africans deserve well-managed, sustainable, community-owned tourism infrastructure — not ghost lodges, stalled museums, or vanity projects with no long-term benefit.
Regards
Haseena Ismail MP
DA Spokesperson on Tourism
First Published here: MyZA.co.za
Did You Know?
- Cradock was founded in 1813 on the banks of the Great Fish River to cater for the migratory farmers who settled in this ruggedly beautiful area with its excellent grazing, abundant water and healthy climate.
- Cradock was officially renamed Nxuba on 26 August 2022. This change was officially gazetted by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, and it was part of a broader effort to rename towns with colonial or apartheid legacies in the Eastern Cape.
- Home to an actual Harry Potter’s grave: A British soldier with the name Harry Potter, who died during the South African War (Anglo-Boer War), is buried in the Cradock cemetery. His grave was discovered in 2002, long before the fictional character became a global phenomenon.
- Location of the last surrender of arms in the South African War: Cradock was the final place in South Africa where arms were officially laid down at the end of the South African War, with the event occurring four days after the Peace of Vereeniging was signed in 1902.
- Birthplace of Afrikaans publication: The first-ever article published in the Afrikaans language appeared in the local newspaper, the Cradock News, on December 4, 1868. This was a report on the separation of the Eastern Cape from the Western Cape, and the paper achieved the largest circulation in the country at the time.
- Second oldest cricket ground and library in South Africa: Cradock’s cricket ground and library are both the second oldest in the entire country, a testament to the town’s early establishment and development of civic amenities.
- Host to a total solar eclipse viewing by a Prime Minister: In 1942, the South African statesman and Prime Minister Jan Smuts came specifically to Cradock to witness a total eclipse of the sun, as the town was the best location for viewing the celestial event.