Minister Dean Macpherson welcomes issuing of Sarah Baartman Centre tender

The Minister of Public Works & Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, has welcomed the issuing of Letters of Award by the Independent Development Trust (IDT) to the successful bidder for the completion of the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance in Hankey, Eastern Cape, adding that it marks a significant step forward in bringing closure to a project that has, for more than 10 years, stood as a symbol of delays, contractor failures, and missed opportunities to honour the legacy of Sarah Baartman with the dignity she deserves.

The issuing of Letters of Award follows the identification of the project as one of the priority projects to be accelerated under focused departmental oversight, after years of stagnation and mismanagement. The project will now proceed through final contractual and compliance processes before site handover, including contract signing, approval of health and safety requirements, and the securing of necessary work permits.

The Minister said the progress being achieved at the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance forms part of the Department’s broader effort to restore discipline and execution across public infrastructure delivery, including through targeted interventions to unblock stalled projects.

“The issuing of Letters of Award is an important milestone in turning around one of the most delayed and neglected projects in the Department’s portfolio. For too long, the Sarah Baartman Centre stood unfinished, despite millions of rands having already been spent. Today, we are firmly positioning the project to move from delay to delivery, ensuring that we turn around a project which was a blight on the Department for too long,” Minister Macpherson said.

“The life of Sarah Baartman remains an important reminder of our painful past, and it is therefore imperative that we give her the respect and dignity she deserves. The progress we are now seeing reflects the decisive action taken to restore governance, fix procurement failures, and ensure that capable contractors are appointed to deliver quality infrastructure on time.”

Once completed, the Centre will serve as a cultural, educational and tourism landmark, contributing to economic activity in the Sarah Baartman District while preserving an important part of South Africa’s history.

The Minister added that this development signals a broader shift within the Department towards implementation and results.

“As the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure, our focus is clear: to ensure that public infrastructure projects are completed on time, within budget, and transparently, in a manner that delivers real value to communities. Through the reforms underway in our Department, we are building a firm foundation to deliver for all South Africans and build a better country.”

Enquiries:
Spokesperson to the Minister
James de Villiers
Cell: 082 766 0276

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