R311-million and counting but this Limpopo taxi rank has never opened

R311-million so far and 14 years later, the Thohoyandou taxi rank in Limpopo has never opened. Photo: Ndivhuwo Mukwevho

Exactly three years ago, we reported how R275-million had been spent on a taxi rank in Limpopo which had never opened. Construction started in 2011 on the Thohoyandou taxi rank. The bill now stands at R311-million. It has still not opened.

In October, Premier Phophi Ramathuba announced at a press briefing at the taxi rank that a further R47-million will be allocated.

The new contractor was given eight months to complete the project.

When GroundUp visited the site last week, there was no sign that work was about to commence.

After initial construction in 2013, which included a three-storey retail and office block, “structural defects” were found in 2014. Remedial work was then carried out between March 2017 and July 2018, according to Tidimalo Chuene, spokesperson for the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety.

But “overloaded pile foundations and inadequate reinforcement” had “rendered the building non-compliant with design codes”.

The project was also delayed by a court case that has been ongoing since 2018. The department took the implementing agent, Intersite Property Management Services, and Mnjiya Consulting Engineers to court.

Maanda Tshikovhi, a taxi driver, says he was still in high school when construction of the rank began.

“The current make-shift taxi rank [at Mvusuludzo] we are using is so small and often overcrowded. We really need this new taxi rank to open, but they must first make sure that it is safe to use, as we do not want to die,” he said.

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