After being mired in controversy and allegations that funds were misappropriated, the AmaZulu King’s amphitheatre project will be concluded and ready for use in November.
Martin Meyer, the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for public works and infrastructure, made the commitment during his oversight visit to evaluate the building’s progress.
“We have committed ourselves as the new administration that every infrastructural project initiated must be seen to the end,” said Meyer.
“This is an important project that will host various cultural events. Already over 60% of the work has been completed.”
He explained that his department has adopted a new strategy of doing things, saying there must be a culture of accountability.
“We’re also embarking on auditing all assets that belong to the department to exercise proper oversight and ensure that government properties are effectively managed.”
Late AmaZulu king
More than R100-million from the public purse was footed for the project.
Once completed, the facility is expected to have 2000 seats, an administration block, an irrigation system, a steel roof that would cover the entire arena, change rooms, parking bays, site reticulation facilities, a borehole, and water-related infrastructure.
The late AmaZulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuZulu proposed the Enyokeni cultural precinct, which is a part of the amphitheatre and is about two hours away from the rural town of Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
It has been a subject of controversy since its inception several years ago. At some stage, the public protector was roped in to probe allegations of corruption.
It was also believed that the precinct had no proper planning and was pushed through without any sound budget allocation.
“In the 2014/15 financial year, according to its annual report, the department made a commitment of R131-million in support of this project even though the project did not appear in the department’s 2014/15 annual performance plan,” the portfolio committee on arts and culture noted when it visited the precinct.
Drawcard for tourists
In 2018, then arts and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa halted the project and ordered an investigation on how it was run.
It also emerged that there was no business plan to guide the implantation of the project.
At the heart of the Enyokeni cultural precinct was to construct a multi-cultural activities and heritage centre that would serve as a drawcard for domestic and international tourists to the area considered the heartbeat of the AmaZulu throne.
The precinct was intended to promote and preserve arts, culture and heritage through hosting various cultural heritage festivities and ceremonies that are of great significance to the AmaZulu nation.
The annual reed dance, known as umkhosi wokuhlolwa kwezintombi (virginity testing), held every year in September, was used as a motion behind the need of the cultural centre.
