Durban — The R140 million Umkhosi Womhlanga amphitheatre which is nearing completion at the Enyokeni royal palace in Nongoma will be completed next month - weeks after the annual reed dance ceremony it is purposed for.
This was announced by the KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer who visited the project on Thursday.
Meyer expressed his satisfaction at the progress of the construction which he said was over 60% complete, announcing that the project will be completed next month, and be ready for use for all the cultural events on the Zulu kingdom calendar.
“I am happy with the progress of this important construction and we are confident that it will be completed next month and be ready for cultural events,” said the MEC.
He also took a moment to engage local forums who had come to the site, which he said had welcomed him with open arms and embraced him while expressing their unwavering support for the steps he's taken to include communities and local forums at community projects.
Meyer said he was also pleased that the project had met critical aspects of job creation with over 100 locals taking part through the EPWP programme.
Once completed, the venue will have 2000 seats, an administration block, an irrigation system, a steel roof that would cover the entire arena, change rooms, parking bays, Eskom connections and site reticulation facilities, a borehole, and water and related infrastructure.
King Misuzulu's aide Prince Simphiwe Zulu said the royal family was happy that at last the dream of the late king Zwelithini would be realised since it was he who requested the amphitheatre.
The project was supposed to have been started long before the king died in 2021 and was also budgeted for but did not take off. It only started in May last year and was expected to be completed next month.
Earlier in the day, the MEC started in Ulundi where he inspected about 300 state houses that were said to be illegally occupied by rogue elements including alleged hit men. After inspection, he allayed fears that the occupants would be forcibly evicted, saying no one would be evicted without consultation first since occupants were protected by the constitution too.
The MEC’s spokesperson Steve Bhengu said Meyer wished to clarify that there will be no forced evictions taking place at any of the over 300 homes belonging to the department that are hijacked in Ulundi, saying the matter was further discussed with department officials.
“The MEC's position is that under the Government of Provincial Unity, hope would be restored among the people while turning KZN into one big construction site that benefits the people. The issue of the homes surfaced as part of ongoing audits on asset ownership and usage by the department. It has since emerged that some families and individuals have occupied the homes for as much as 30 years. MEC Meyer says this then makes the matter further complex and as a result the utmost sensitivity will be adopted when dealing with the issue,” said Bhengu.
Furthermore, Bhengu said that the municipalities where these hijacked buildings fall will be roped in as a means to find a solution while addressing the issue of housing and revenue collection for the municipalities involved.
Meanwhile, this year’s reed dance will take place next week.
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Daily News