Minister of Public Works & Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, has announced a decisive action plan to finally complete the long-delayed upgrade of the historic Ohlange Institute in KwaZulu-Natal, following over a decade of failed construction and a staggering investment of more than R33 million that has left the site in disrepair. The Minister’s commitment comes after an oversight visit on Monday morning, which included the family of the institute’s founder, Dr John Langalibalele Dube, eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Mntomuhle Khawula, and KwaZulu-Natal NCOP Whip Mzamo Billy.
The pivotal move involves the immediate establishment of a special technical construction team—a joint task force between the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure (DPWI) and its entity, the Independent Development Trust (IDT). This high-level team, composed of senior officials, has been given a tight two-month deadline to develop a comprehensive plan of action to ensure the project’s swift and final completion. The Ohlange Institute, founded by Dr Dube and his wife in 1901 and notably where former President Nelson Mandela cast his first democratic vote in 1994, is a national heritage site whose decay has been deemed “simply unacceptable” by the Minister.
Minister Macpherson stressed that the turnaround of this project is a critical element of the DPWI’s new strategy, outlined in the recently unveiled South African Construction Action Plan. This initiative is aimed at restoring public trust and ensuring that departmental projects deliver tangible, positive contributions to local communities. “It is exactly these kinds of projects that the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure is determined to turn around… to ensure that public projects contribute positively to the communities in which they are located,” Macpherson stated, acknowledging the attention brought to the issue by NCOP Whip Billy.
The Minister emphasised that the completion of the Ohlange Institute signifies a broader shift in departmental culture, prioritising the public good over departmental inertia. “The era of half-completed Public Works & Infrastructure projects across South Africa is coming to an end. In its place, we are introducing urgency, transparency and accountability,” he said. Macpherson anticipates the construction team will provide a “pathway towards the project’s completion within the shortest timeframe possible,” underscoring his mandate to transform the DPWI into a service-delivery-orientated department focused on ensuring that public assets, intended to honour the nation’s past, do not become community eyesores.