R63 million spent, 100% over budget: South African police station refurbishment seven years late

In 2016, a R31 million refurbishment project was undertaken at the Park Road Police Station in Bloemfontein, Free State, with a 24-month completion timeline.

Fast-forward to October 2025, and the project remains incomplete, despite R62,856,601 having already been spent.

According to the Select Committee on Security and Justice, the work is currently only 76% complete, with progress having stalled in July 2024. In 2023, overall progress was at 73%.

On 22 October, the committee issued a statement saying that it has resolved to summon the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson.

They said this would be “to appear to account for the delays and lack of oversight in project execution” in the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure (DPWI).

Spokesperson for the DPWI, Lennox Mabaso, told Newsday that “there’s no need to summon the Minister, as an official invitation to the committee will suffice.”

“The Minister, who assumed office well after the project’s inception, shares the Committee’s frustration with the delays to the project.”

The Park Road Police Station is one of the largest police stations in the Free State, located around higher learning institutions, where it is utilised by many students residing in the area.

During a recent oversight visit by the committee, among the challenges identified were:

• A non-functional community service centre, now operating from inadequate temporary premises;
• Non-operational landline telephones, making it difficult for the public to contact the station; and a
• Lack of access control, creating a serious security risk, particularly at night.

“The committee is shocked by the ongoing delays and the lack of accountability,” said acting chairperson Inkosi Mwelo Nonkonyana.

“The incomplete refurbishment has severely compromised service delivery and poses significant safety risks for both officers and the community.”

“Millions in taxpayer money are disappearing in the air. Many of these entities are not delivering; they are actually embarrassing the government,” he added.

Former MEC for Community Safety in the Free State, MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, who is now the Premier, had previously said that the delay in the revamping of the Park Road Police Station has had a notable negative impact on service delivery.

“It really had a very negative impact, even on the personnel itself of SAPS, because most of the time you find that even during this delay, they were not able to serve the communities,” said Letsoha-Mathae.

“When you have to come here for an affidavit, they had to wait somewhere there under the shelter, at the entrance, so it really affected us negatively in terms of service delivery.”

She explained that delays in the Park Road project had a serious negative impact on the transport of detainees, whose transfers were disrupted by the project’s slow progress.

In 2023, former DPWI minister Sihle Zikalala, who is now deputy, said that facilities have been delayed by over four years “due to construction companies claiming liquidation and incapacity to continue after receiving project funds.”

“The delayed completion of these facilities affects service delivery and the overall safety of our communities,” he said.

“It is crucial that we address the issue of poor project management in government programs.”

Reasons given for the delay

Mabaso said that the the project has faced persistent challenges since 2016.

This includes the withdrawal of three different contractors due to non-performance, late payments by the implementing agent, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), and weak project oversight in previous years.

Daily Investor reported at the end of 2024 that the initial contractor appointed in 2017, Soaring Summit Development, could not complete the project due to poor performance on site.

During 2019 they opted to cede the contract to another construction company namely, Ikaheng Plant Hire Developers.

However, they could not proceed with the project from onset and opted to terminate the appointment.

Following the termination by Ikaheng Plant Hire Developers, after completing another planning process, DBSA re-advertised the project.

This resulted in Mpfumelelo Business Enterprise being appointed as a successful bidder and commencing the works in January 2021.

At the initial stages, the project progressed well, but later slowed down due to various reasons, ranging from slow progress on site, late payments and withdrawal of professional service providers on site, which were eventually resolved.

The Minister stated that Mpfumelelo Business Enterprise continued to provide services on site at a very slow pace.

They eventually terminated their services in April 2024 due to three delayed payments that could not be processed on time.

The termination was done by invoking the relevant contractual clauses for the breach of contract on late payments. The delayed payments were for services rendered.

In the October 2025 statement, the Select Committee on Security and Justice expressed frustration with “late payments from the DPWI and the Development Bank of Southern Africa. The most recent contractor reportedly left the site after waiting four months for payment.”

The DPWI spokesperson said that since inception in 2016, a total of R62.8 million has been spent on the Park Road Police Station project.

This amount includes payments to contractors, professional service providers, and the DBSA’s management fees.

“The project’s initial contract value was R31 million, but due to repeated delays, terminations, and cost escalations, the projected cost increased significantly,” said Mabaso.

He said the Department and DBSA are in the process of recovering funds from non-performing contractors, with legal action underway to reclaim approximately R22 million in damages.

“The Minister will fully support Parliament’s oversight processes. The Department is finalising the appointment of a replacement contractor to complete the project,” said Mabaso.

“The Minister has made it clear that legacy failures cannot continue unchecked and that all stalled projects must be brought to completion under strengthened governance and accountability systems.”

Completing this and long-delayed infrastructure projects

The DPWI has reported delayed projects with a financial toll of approximately R2.9 billion over several years, with an additional R1.3 billion invested the past financial year on projects that had not yet been completed. 

Mabaso said the Minister has prioritised completing long-delayed projects and improving accountability within the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

Recent measures include the Strategic and Special Delivery Unit (SSDU), supported by the UK, to speed up stalled projects such as the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance in Hankey.

“Digitisation will enable improved project-tracking systems, allowing issues to be identified and resolved more quickly.”

He added that the Park Road Police Station project will be closely monitored to prevent further delays.

This, he says, is part of the Minister’s broader aim to make the Department “the economic delivery unit of government: one that delivers quality infrastructure, restores public trust, and holds both officials and contractors accountable.”