HANKEY- The long-delayed Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance project has moved closer to completion after Department of Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson officially handed over the construction site to a newly appointed contractor on Saturday, 04 July 2026.
The handover marks a major intervention in a project that has remained incomplete for more than a decade and was identified by the department as one of its top 10 failed priority projects requiring urgent attention.
Minister Macpherson, joined by Kouga Local Municipality Council Speaker Lorraine Maree, Independent Development Trust (IDT) representatives and local leaders, said the appointment of the new contractor represented a shift from years of delays towards delivery.
“This is not simply another public works project. It is a place that should speak to memory, justice, dignity and our obligation as a country to tell the truth about our past while building a better future,” Macpherson said.
The centre, located in Hankey near the Gamtoos River where Sarah Baartman was born is intended to honour her life and preserve the heritage and history of Khoi and San communities.
Baartman became one of the most recognised victims of colonial exploitation after she was taken to Europe in the early 1800s and displayed as a so-called scientific curiosity. Her remains were returned to South Africa decades later and she was buried in Hankey in 2002.
Macpherson said the unfinished state of the centre had become a painful symbol of government failure.
“For more than a decade, this Centre became something else. Instead of standing as a monument to dignity, it became a monument to delay,” he said.
The minister said the department had rejected previous plans that did not provide a credible pathway to completion and had since introduced stronger oversight measures.
The Independent Development Trust was appointed as the implementing agent, with government saying improved planning, procurement processes, contract management and community engagement would be central to ensuring completion.
“This is not the end of the journey. But it is a real and important turning point,” Macpherson said.
In addition he warned the appointed contractor that the project carried historical significance beyond the construction work.
“You are not simply here to complete a building. You are here to help repair a breach of trust,” he said.
Macpherson said the contractor would be expected to complete the project with urgency, quality and transparency, while ensuring that local communities benefit through employment and economic opportunities.
“This project must benefit you. It must create opportunities for local workers, local enterprises and young people,” he said.
However, he stressed that community participation must take place through lawful and transparent processes.
The minister said he expected to return to the centre at the end of 2027 to officially hand it over to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
The completed centre is expected to serve as a heritage, education and tourism facility, while contributing to local economic development in Hankey and the wider Kouga region.
Macpherson said the project represented a broader commitment by government to address unfinished infrastructure projects.
“We cannot build a better country by pretending that failure did not happen. We cannot restore dignity by avoiding accountability,” he said.
The minister said the success of the project would ultimately be measured not by ceremonies or promises, but by the completion of the facility and its impact on communities.
“The public will not judge us by our statements. They will judge us by what is completed,” he said.
Photograph: Supplied
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