R111 million Franschhoek High-Performance Centre is a derelict site which is decaying in plain sight

The Franschhoek High-Performance Centre was supposed to be a world-class aquatic centre accredited by World Aquatics.

It was designed to serve as a training hub for international scholarship athletes and a preparation base for South African swimmers aiming for international competition.

However, despite millions spent on its construction, the project has stalled and is now the subject of financial, legal, and corruption investigations.

After construction was halted, it left behind an unfinished and decaying site which is of no value to swimmers or the community.

The details about the failed project were shared by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, in response to a Parliamentary question.

National Assembly member Heloise Denner asked McKenzie for the original and revised completion date of the Franschhoek High-Performance Centre.

She also requested details on the project budget and the amounts received from the entities involved.

Denner further asked about the amounts that were spent and the reasons for any cost overruns in the construction of the high-performance centre.

McKenzie responded, saying Swimming South Africa had initially projected that the centre would open in March 2024.

That date was later revised to mid-2025, which was also not met. Swimming South Africa has not yet provided a new completion date.

The organisation has put the estimated total cost of the Franschhoek High-Performance Centre project at R111 million.

The funding secured for the project includes an allocation of approximately R35 million from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC).

This R35 million was payable in three tranches, of which Swimming South Africa received only the first.

McKenzie said he could not say how much had been spent on the project to date, as the organisation had not provided him with this information.

Excuses for not completing the Franschhoek High-Performance Centre

The Sports Minister said that Swimming South Africa provided many reasons for the project’s delay and subsequent failure.

The first is storm and flood damage to the site in September 2023, which delayed construction.

The second was a dispute between the developer and Franschhoek High School, on whose grounds the Franschhoek High-Performance Centre is located.

Other problems included the developer’s liquidation and the National Lotteries Commission’s suspension of further payments.

McKenzie said he could not comment on cost overruns, as Swimming South Africa has provided him with information on whether the project has exceeded its budget.

What is concerning is that Swimming South Africa has not committed to a date for completing the Franschhoek High-Performance Centre.

“It told the Committee that it expects funding to resume by the end of 2027 at the latest, so the centre is unlikely to be operational before then,” he said.

The problems with the Franschhoek High-Performance Centre go beyond incompetence. There are allegations of corruption linked to the project.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has launched an investigation into the stalled project managed by Swimming South Africa.

The investigation focuses on allegations of corruption, financial mismanagement, and governance failures.

McKenzie confirmed the Special Investigating Unit investigation, but would not comment on this issue.

“The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture will not pre-empt the SIU’s findings,” he told Parliament.

However, he did visit the site on 1 March 2025 and requested Swimming South Africa to account for the project and its funding.

Today, the Franschhoek High-Performance Centre site is in ruins, with unfinished pools filled with stagnant wastewater and existing school infrastructure left vandalised.

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Franschhoek High-Performance Centre photos

Image credits: Masters Waterpolo South Africa

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