The R20 million Maila herbal project in the Nthabalala area, launched in 2010 by the Department of Environmental Affairs, is turning out to be yet another white elephant with incomplete buildings on the brink of collapse.
The project was launched in August 2010 by the then Deputy Minister of the department, Rejoice Mabudafhasi. The aims were to draw the attention to the need for development in the area and to promote and protect the natural and biological resources in the area.
The project comprised the establishment of a nursery, laboratory, guard house, medicinal plant garden and research centre. The medicinal plants are used to treat ailments such as coughs, headaches, fever, constipation and high blood pressure. The 140-hectare area was also to be protected by a fence.
A private company, Indigenous Knowledge Systems of South Africa Trust (IKSSA), was appointed by the Department of Environmental Affairs to implement the project. In 2013, more than 200 workers at the project went on strike after allegedly not being paid for two months.
The chairperson of the Vhembe traditional healer's association, Mbulaheni Neluvhola, who is also the chairperson of the Maila conservation project, said last week that the provincial government must intervene to ensure that the process of completing the project was speeded up. He was concerned about the lengthy period that the project was taking to be completed.
Neluvhola called on the Hawks to investigate the project, because he suspects some of the money allocated by the Department of Environmental Affairs had been stolen. "The project has collapsed because the department and the people who were supposed to come and do the development could not consult with us," he said
SANCO's chairperson at Maila, Maita Ramaite, alleged that the company that was given the tender to build the project, IKSSA, wanted to hand over an incomplete project to the community. Ramaite said that they refused to accept the incomplete project.
"So far, when we look at the progress of the project, we don't see any benefit that we could get in the creation of employment or the minimisation of poverty. Of course, we still have hope that the departmental people could come to us and we can sit down and talk. Hopefully we can find a solution. Even if we can take the key, there's no way where we can use that project," he said.
The chairperson of the Nthabalala Royal Council, Dick Nthabalala, said that they wanted the project to start operating. He said they were worried that the buildings might be vandalised or become dilapidated.
The IKSSA Trust and the Department of Environmental Affairs were not available for comment.