After making the Makana Municipality jump through hoops to get funds for a project that was set to transform local history into a recreational and tourism getaway, the national Department of Tourism now says time's up and is on the verge of withdrawing the R15 million it promised and redirecting it to a project of its own.
After making the Makana Municipality jump through hoops to get funds for a project that was set to transform local history into a recreational and tourism getaway, the national Department of Tourism now says time's up and is on the verge of withdrawing the R15 million it promised and redirecting it to a project of its own.
The national Department of Tourism has decided to redirect R15 million from the Egazini memorial precinct project to the Makana Resort. The department argues that no money has been spent on the project, that there is no evidence of job creation, and that the money will therefore be diverted to the site of the former Grahamstown Caravan Park, near the entrance to Mountain Drive, now a three-star resort.
The Egazini memorial precinct project, brainchild of the Makana neighbourhood development programme, is to conserve and interpret the history and significance of the Egazini Battle, in which the Xhosa Chief Makana attacked the British settlers of Grahamstown in 1819.
It includes an interpretation centre to be constructed on Makana's Kop (the ridge above Vukani), the site of the Egazini battle. A site of culture and learning, this would be geared to serve a wide range of audiences, from local youth to international visitors.
Between this interpretation centre and the Egazini heritage site in Fingo Village, which houses the Egazini memorial, is an undeveloped area. The proposal is to develop this into a hiking trail, creating a recreational and tourism corridor through Fingo and Vukani.
The project received partnership funding from the national treasury amounting to R18 million, as well as R15 million from the National Department of Tourism. Local Economic Development Director, Riana Meiring, said at a recent portfolio committee meeting that the department had promised R15 million to the project during a meeting in late 2009.
Meiring explained that the funding could not be spent at that time as "the project steering committee decided that they cannot use the funding for the top structures until a proper feasibility study is undertaken which is a requirement from National Treasury."
The feasibility study was undertaken, as well as a conservation plan and environmental impact assessment were completed, which revealed that the project was sustainable. Meiring said community consultation also had to take place before the project could get under way.
It was at this stage, said Meiring, once the municipality had followed all the required procedures, that they had received a letter from the department informing them the funds were to be redirected. Meiring said that the department's motivation for redirecting the funds was based on the claim that the Makana Resort would create more jobs. "The department must come back to the municipality and explain why would there be more jobs created in the caravan park," she said.
Meantime, the National Treasury has committed R5 million in addition to the R18 million they have already committed to the project. This still leaves the municipality R10 million short, however, and should the Department of Tourism remain adamant, they will have to reduce the scope of the project, or seek funding elsewhere.
Councillor Julia Wells said that the department was under "huge pressure" from National Treasury to "spend it or lose it". "It's not even on our IDP, its something they chose," she said, adding that they had asked the department for a more detailed report on this funding that would be going into the Makana Resort.
Grocott's Mail has reported that the department, formerly known as the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, has since 2006 spent more than R20 million in the resort's development. This included the construction of six chalets; four cabins; 16 caravan sites with ablution facilities; a services and recreation centre; a conference centre; two swimming pools; and a reception area.
