The East London beachfront upgrades cost close to R100m -- not R87m as originally stated by the municipality.
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane unveiled an East London beachfront on Wednesday afternoon, which was initially reported to have cost R87-million. However, recent information reveals that the actual cost is close to R100-million (R99,533,959.07).
Daily Maverick is in possession of papers confirming this from the municipal manager, who was responding to a DA councillor. These are expected to be tabled before the council within two weeks.
The cash-strapped Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) faced a backlash on Thursday as the public expressed outrage over what were seen as exorbitant costs.
To make matters worse, the final project unveiled by the Premier is not the same as what was presented to the council three years ago. Given this, the municipality should have saved money. But spent more instead.
Beach protest
The EFF in East London held a protest against the unveiling of the beachfront, and called for an investigation into the escalated costs and delays of the project.
This forced Mabuyane and Co. to cut short their speeches.
The 24-hectare Eastern Beach Front area project commenced in 2020, with an initial estimated cost of about R50-million. It was initially scheduled to be completed in November 2022, but there were delays and...
