Buildings in a top South African city that cost taxpayers R659 million remain closed for years

Numerous publicly funded infrastructure projects in the City of Ekurhuleni remain closed years after their completion, despite R659 million being spent on their construction.

These include the R123.64 million Selcourt Reservoir, the R108.73 million Reiger Park Enterprise Hub, and the Ramaphosa Vocational Skills Centre.

Also included are the Vosloorus Multi-Purpose Centre, Early Childhood Development Centres (ECD), multiple other reservoirs, and a number of recreational centres.

Many of these projects were completed over four years ago, with reports indicating that some were finished as far back as 2018, yet remain unopened.

While these buildings were intended to serve as community centres, many remain closed and out of use because Ekurhuleni has failed to connect them to municipal services.

Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo, revealed that the City of Ekurhuleni spends R200,000 per month on security at these facilities to prevent hijacking, vandalism, and theft.

Member of Parliament Khathutshelo Rasilingwane said she would escalate the matter to the Public Protector.

“Every unopened facility represents a service that residents were promised but cannot use,” Rasilingwane said. “Residents have already paid for these projects through public funds.”

“Residents should not then be robbed of the services and opportunities those projects were supposed to provide because the City is incapable of opening them.”

Rasilingwane said the reasons given behind why these facilities remain closed have raised serious concerns, such as the Bakerton Stadium in Springs.

Contractors were appointed to rebuild the stadium in March 2020 at a cost of R27 million, after it had fallen into disrepair due to years of theft and vandalism.

The stadium was officially opened in 2024, but has remained inaccessible to the public due to the lack of a functional booking system and a reportedly burnt playing pitch.

This has led to a lack of maintenance at the stadium over the last two years, with some of the sporting facilities deteriorating due to uncut grass growing through the court floors.

The Vosloorus Multi-Purpose Centre, which cost R26.3 million to build, has stood unused for three years due to water connection problems.

Two ECDS built in Vosloorus and Alberton’s Eden Park neighbourhood, both costing around R23 million, have remained closed for between four and five years.

Meanwhile, the Reiger Park Enterprise Hub has been closed for a year since its completion because it has been unable to obtain an occupancy certificate.

This is because the external road and access infrastructure surrounding the facility have not been completed by the municipality.

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Photos of the closed buildings in Ekurhuleni:

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