This province spent R107m on building that's still run down
Irregular expenditure has led to R107 million being spent on a building that is still dilapidated.
The Free State government spent R107 million on the Old Ramkraal Prison site, and yet the building remains dilapidated.
According to BusinessTech, the historic prison, which was built between 1893 and 1895 in Bloemfontein, was registered as a national monument in 1990.
But by the early 2010s, it had been neglected and illegally occupied.
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In 2012, the provincial government under then-Premier Ace Magashule proposed converting it into a museum and new legislature, as the existing legislature was too small.
The Department of Public Works initially allocated R131.2 million for the project, later reducing it to R119.2 million in 2012–2013.
But despite the massive budget, the project was stalled due to irregularities.
By 2018, concerns over the lack of progress led the DA to call for an investigation.
The Auditor-General’s 2022 report confirmed major financial irregularities.
A total of R106.7 million was spent between 2010 and 2014, with almost nothing to show for it.
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Of this, R99 million was classified as irregular expenditure, including R17.1 million on advisory services and R7.2 million on a contractor—who exceeded the contract price but left no visible security fencing.
The audit also found that the project lacked proper authorisation, legislative approval, and an approved funding model.
Despite all the spending, Ramkraal remains a crumbling monument to wasted public funds.
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Image: BusinessTech