Another R6 million for 'new' Thohoyandou taxi rank

Yet another R6 million will be pumped into the Thohoyandou Taxi Rank to try and complete the project, which has cost the taxpayers close to R300 million over the past two decades. For many years the incomplete taxi rank has been described as nothing more than a “love nest for learners and a hideout for criminals”.

The “new” Thohoyandou Taxi Rank next to Eskom was supposed to be completed 11 years ago, but the rank has not been operational. The construction of this intermodal project, which included the taxi rank as well as a retail and office block, commenced in June 2011 at a cost of R256 million. When it was to be opened after completion in 2013, the engineers apparently discovered that it had structural defects (such as cracks) and was declared not safe for use. A further R25.2 million was incurred by the department for the rectification of the defects.

Last year, the Limpopo MEC for Transport, Mavhungu Lerule Ramakhanya, announced that the rank would be functional by October (2021), but commuters kept on waiting for something to happen. The facility, which was supposed to be a sign of hope, as the whole purpose was to encourage economic growth and investment in the area, as well as create job opportunities and, of course, improve access to public transport, remained a white elephant.

Residents were surprised when they heard that a further R6 million has now been budgeted for the completion of the project. With so much money already pumped into this project (without any functioning purpose as yet), many are beginning to wonder whether the project has not become a Stokvel, where those in power continue to milk government coffers for their own gain.

Among the first to react on learning about the further R6 million was the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo, who has been following the progress of the project with keen interest. “We are deeply disappointed that a further R6 million has been budgeted for the completion of this taxi rank facility. This is despite the project being severely over budget and behind schedule. We have written a letter to the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Ms Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, wherein we requested details of the new completion date of the facility and to determine what steps have been taken against officials involved in this project. We will closely monitor the progress around it to ensure that there are no more unnecessary delays with this long overdue project,” said Ms Katlego Phala, spokesperson for the DA in Limpopo.

Mr Solomon Shandukani of SANTACO Vhembe said they were tired of empty promises about the opening of the new rank. “We are now so used to the situation at hand. We had hoped that it would be opened years ago, but we will wait and see what happens,” he said.

The Department of Transport and Community Safety’s spokesperson, Mr Mike Maringa, said that the defects had been fixed a long time ago, but then they had realised that a problem of water existed. “The R6 million is for touch-ups. We are only waiting for an occupational certificate that was delayed because of contractual disputes. The project was on a tender and we cannot take action against them,” he said.

Date:01 April 2022

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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