KZN’s Documentation Centre: More broken promises

Sir,
The KwaZulu-Natal Documentation Centre – a facility which houses priceless records and artefacts relating to the province’s Indian community – appears to be way down on the priority list of the ANC-led provincial government.
The official opening of extensions to the centre has been delayed three times.  A statue promised by the Premier is yet to materialise. During her speech the MEC announced that the rights to the building would be removed from KZN’s Music House and returned to their rightful owner, the 1860 Heritage Centre. The KZN Music House currently falls under the umbrella of the province’s Economic Development and Tourism department.
Last week I visited the centre. To my bitter disappointment I found that the building has not been handed over as promised by the MEC. This means that invaluable records, artefacts and heirlooms remain in storage gathering dust, as they have been for seven years now.
The DA demands an explanation from the MEC. Despite ongoing appeals to the provincial government, an extension to the centre was not opened in time for the 150-year celebrations to mark the arrival of indentured Indian people in South Africa. First it was scheduled for November 2012. Then it was moved to May 2013, then to November last year. And still we wait.

George Mari, MPP