The state and functionality of the uMkhumbane Heritage Centre in Cato Manor have come under scrutiny amid concerns that the facility has become a white elephant.
“The Mercury” understands that the museum was opened in 2017. Damaged windows and broken perimeter fencing have raised concerns that the centre had been vandalised.
However, the eThekwini Municipality dismissed any talk about the heritage centre being a white elephant, saying it was operational and more activities were being planned for it.
DA councillor Thabani Mthethwa said money spent on building the centre should be classified as fruitless and wasteful expenditure because no benefit was being derived from the spending.
“As the DA, we want that museum to be declared wasteful expenditure. It cost the municipality R300 million to build but it has never worked. When it was opened, minor issues were outstanding to complete it and to have it functional, but because it has not been working all this time, it has been vandalised and it will now cost a lot more to get it up and running.
“We know that what contributed to this state of affairs is that part of the money that was supposed to go into the completion of the museum was used to purchase statues, that is what we want the officials that were involved in diverting those funds to be held accountable for.
“That museum was supposed to draw tourism and boost the local economy but it has compromised the local economy. We believe that the ANC misled the public when they opened it, seeing as it has never worked,” he said.
IFP councillor Mdu Nkosi said the museum was a white elephant that needed to be investigated.
“This month I will be writing to the City’s Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU) to get clarity on what happened there because a lot of money was spent, yet that museum does not work. I have never heard that people had visited it. I do not even know what equipment is inside the museum.”
Municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana disputed claims that the museum was not working and that R300 million was spent on the centre, saying the amount spent was less than R100m.
“UMkhumbane Heritage Centre is operational. The only time the museum was not operational was during the Covid-19 national lockdown.”
She said from July to December last year, it received more than 366 visitors, excluding walk-ins.
She said visitors are taken through the history of uMkhumbane and the Zulu kingdom by tour guides and they are also taken to the crypt (where the remains of the late Queen Thomozile Emmelda kaJeza Ngane Ndwandwe Zulu are buried). She said the damaged windows were as a result of a hailstorm.
“There is security on site. Only two windows were broken during a hailstorm, these windows are in a process of being fixed following the necessary supply chain management processes.
Any other identified maintenance work will also be carried out.”
She said the museum was currently preparing for two exhibitions.
“On the first floor the exhibition will showcase the history of uMkhumbane and will narrate the story of the Cato Manor Nine. You will recall that on January 24, 1960, nine policemen were killed by an angry mob at Cato Manor,” said the spokesperson.
She added that another exhibition would showcase the Zulu kingdom starting from King Shaka kaSenzangakhona to the current reigning king.
The Mercury