Four years after the Krugersdrop CBD taxi rank construction project started on May 2, 2018, there is yet another stoppage at the rank recently while buildings remain only partially completed and the gates closed.

The reason seems to be the same as before: The main contractor has not paid one of their sub-contractors, this time the security contractor, which ensures the security of the workers and prevents the site being vandalised.

Zillah Maguire, MMC for Local Economic and Rural Development, explains that after the main contractor, Maragela Consulting Engineers, recently stopped using the services of the previous construction sub-contractor and hired a new one, construction continued for a while without major problems.

“Unfortunately, the work was stopped again. As far as we can understand it is because the main contractor failed to pay the security company.”

Councillor Mark Trump, whose ward is the CBD, explains: “After they had promised to pay by April 14, in the presence of MEC Jacob Mamabolo, the security company locked up the taxi rank in desperation to get their money”.

In February 2021 the Krugersdorp News reported that the taxi rank had been under construction for longer than it took to build the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Space Needle and 88 On Field in Durban.

Today, the duration of the taxi rank construction is nearing the time it took to build the Golden Gate Bridge in America, Guggenheim Museum in Spain, and the Petronas Towers in Malaysia.

It might seem ludicrous to make these comparisons, as those projects had far larger budgets, but the taxi rank is just a tarred surface with a few frames, roofs, ablution blocks and stalls.

Maguire noted that the contractor claimed that the work was about 95% done, but that the Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) thought it was closer to 75%.

“We have R3 million left to compete the work. Maragela ensured us that the budget was sufficient to complete it,” says Maguire.

According to Trump, “In a meeting with the mayor, Maragela was asked four times: ‘Are you sure it will be completed by the end of May?’ and he was confident in saying four times that it would be completed”.

Concerning the question on what would happen if the project goes over budget and Maragela requests more funding from the MCLM, Maguire says, “If something like that had to happen and they did not have the funds to complete the job, we will have to take legal action against the company,” adding that there was still time and that it might not come to that.

At this point, the stalls and ablution blocks have been erected and the sewerage system installed. But most of the buildings do not have doors, none have roofs, the wiring still needs to be done, and the toilets and basins need to be installed.

The steel frames are showing signs of rust, and businesses and taxi owners are losing money.

“It has already damaged the local economy so badly, so we are going to get the rank up and running – even if it means that certain sections will remain closed until they are completed. We have to make sure that it starts operating,” says Maguire.