THE Philip Sanders resort outside Bloemfontein was yesterday still in a state of disrepair despite an allocation of R150million for a makeover by the Free State government.

THE Philip Sanders resort outside Bloemfontein was yesterday still in a state of disrepair despite an allocation of R150million for a makeover by the Free State government.

In February 2010, the Free State department of tourism indicated that the makeover was on track and that it hoped to finish the renovations before the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

But, yesterday it was evident that no work had been done since February.

A man at the resort, who identified himself only as the resort manager, referred queries to the department spokesperson, Kgotso Tau. He also asked media to leave the area.

Free State DA leader Roy Jankielsohn, who invited the media to the resort in February and again yesterday, said that by no miracle would Philip Sanders be ready before the kick-off of the tournament.

"The provincial government has missed an opportunity to complete, market and run the establishment as a sustainable business," he said.

Tau said the provincial government had decided not to give the makeover project to one big company, but had allocated the job to 30 contractors to give emerging contractors a chance. "They all had different levels of experience and some did a good job and others did not," he said, explaining that this was why the project ran over budget. - Sapa