Despite repeated assurances from the Makhado Municipality that the R16.53 million Potgieter Park development in Louis Trichardt is nearing completion, the facility remains locked, overgrown, and inaccessible. Multiple deadlines have come and gone, yet residents say they are still waiting for the day when the long-promised park finally opens.
The project, already years in the making, has become a source of deep frustration for nearby residents who complain not only about the prolonged delays, but also about the lack of community consultation before construction began. Families left without a previously functional recreational space in their own neighbourhood are forced to travel to other parks in town — many of which are themselves poorly maintained.
Residents say they first learnt of the redevelopment only when construction equipment rolled onto the site. Some fear that the planned entertainment facilities will disturb the quiet neighbourhood with noise, traffic, and increased parking pressures, even though the park itself remains unfinished and unusable.
"Other parks are far from our area. We have no nearby recreational space, and this park has been closed and overgrown for the past three years. We sometimes see workers, but the project is never completed. Now there are school races, but we are not allowed to use the park," said Zwivhuya Mutshila, a youth from Louis Trichardt.
Mutshila added that residents had been left without a safe, accessible space for exercise or leisure. An older resident echoed this sentiment, saying the park had once served the community well before the redevelopment began — a redevelopment that has still not been completed years later.
"We were told it would be completed by June last year, but nothing has happened. We were not consulted. We only received a letter saying construction would take two years," said another resident, Deborah Saka.
The redevelopment includes plans for an outdoor gym, a children's playing area, ten braai stands, ten bomas, an amphitheatre, and a wedding garden. It also features ablution facilities, an administration block, a guardhouse, and four 10,000-litre water tanks supplied by a dedicated borehole. Parking for 122 vehicles has also been earmarked.
The Potgieter Park project first appeared in the Makhado Municipality's 2022/23 budget, which allocated R1 million for that financial year and R5 million for 2023/24. The tender was awarded in 2023 to Kumbatia, in joint venture with 1 Daisy, with Rixongile Consulting Engineers appointed as project engineers. Construction officially began in March 2024.
According to the municipality's 2023/24 annual report, R7 million was budgeted for the project from the council's own revenue, and the project was reported as 20% complete at the time. By the end of that financial year, projected costs for 2024/25 had already risen to R10 million.
The 2024/25 mid-year budget report reflected further cost escalation, with the budget increasing to R12 million and expenditure already standing at R10.9 million. At that point, the municipality stated that the project was 91% complete.
During her budget speech in June this year, Makhado Mayor Dorcus Mboyi described Potgieter Park as "90% complete and will soon stand as a proud public asset." Municipal spokesperson Mpho Rathando later confirmed that R16.53 million had already been spent. The original completion date of 12 August 2024 was subsequently revised to 16 May 2025.
Yet, despite official claims of near-completion, the park remains fenced off and inaccessible. With costs spiralling and deadlines repeatedly missed, residents say they have lost patience and want answers about when the facility will finally be opened to the public.
A follow-up inquiry was submitted to Rathando on 13 October to clarify the status of the project and the reasons behind the continuing delays. Several further attempts have been made, but no response has been received yet.