R28 Million Spent and Still No Old Age Home for Boipatong’s Elderly
Press Statement by Bongani Dhlamini
ActionSA Emfuleni Regional Chairperson
ActionSA in Emfuleni is appalled by the shocking revelations contained in the Gauteng Provincial Government’s response to a Legislature question tabled by ActionSA MPL Funzi Ngobeni. The response confirms what residents have long suspected that over R28 million has already been spent on the Boipatong Old Age Home, yet no construction is currently underway, and the project remains incomplete with no elderly persons benefiting.
This is a disgraceful indictment of the Gauteng Provincial Government and a brutal betrayal of the elderly in Boipatong and surrounding areas.
According to the response, the project which was originally initiated by Emfuleni Local Municipality in 2015 has suffered from contractor failure, administrative incompetence, community unrest, and most alarmingly, a gas pipeline discovered nearly a decade later that has halted planning entirely. The latest promise by the Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) is that the project may now be completed by the end of 2026, if all conditions are favourable.
Let us be clear: this is an unacceptable delay. It has now been 10 years since this project was first commissioned. R28 million has been spent with nothing to show for it but a dysfunctional procurement process, poor planning, and failed contractor appointments.
ActionSA demands:
An urgent oversight visit to the site, to be conducted with officials from the Premier’s Office, Department of Social Development, and DID.
A full forensic investigation into the R28 million already spent.
A clear and binding completion timeline, accompanied by a public report-back to the residents of Boipatong.
This failure is yet another reminder of the continued collapse of governance under the ANC-led Emfuleni Municipality and Gauteng Provincial Government. ActionSA will not allow the dignity of our elderly to be treated as an afterthought.
R28 Million Spent and Still No Old Age Home for Boipatong’s Elderly
ActionSA in Emfuleni is appalled by the shocking revelations contained in the Gauteng Provincial Government’s response to a Legislature question tabled by ActionSA MPL Funzi Ngobeni. The response confirms what residents have long suspected that over R28 million has already been spent on the Boipatong Old Age Home, yet no construction is currently underway, and the project remains incomplete with no elderly persons benefiting.
This is a disgraceful indictment of the Gauteng Provincial Government and a brutal betrayal of the elderly in Boipatong and surrounding areas.
According to the response, the project which was originally initiated by Emfuleni Local Municipality in 2015 has suffered from contractor failure, administrative incompetence, community unrest, and most alarmingly, a gas pipeline discovered nearly a decade later that has halted planning entirely. The latest promise by the Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) is that the project may now be completed by the end of 2026, if all conditions are favourable.
Let us be clear: this is an unacceptable delay. It has now been 10 years since this project was first commissioned. R28 million has been spent with nothing to show for it but a dysfunctional procurement process, poor planning, and failed contractor appointments.
ActionSA demands:
A clear and binding completion timeline, accompanied by a public report-back to the residents of Boipatong.
This failure is yet another reminder of the continued collapse of governance under the ANC-led Emfuleni Municipality and Gauteng Provincial Government. ActionSA will not allow the dignity of our elderly to be treated as an afterthought.