Millions of rands of taxpayers’ money has been flushed down the drain‚ while a promising tourism project in Tsholomnqa’s KwaSandile village lies rotting‚ neglected and vandalised.

The Department of Tourism failed to complete the rustic riverside resort‚ valued at about R10-million‚ by its 2012 deadline.

The construction of the community-driven Tyolomnqa Estuary Project commenced in 2011‚ with a vision of creating hundreds of jobs.

Today‚ all that remains are eight ravaged little chalets‚ surrounded by piles of building materials and two shipping containers almost obscured by overgrown bush.

A Daily Dispatch special report found scores of mattresses and equipment stored in the two containers at the construction site. It appeared as though some of the equipment had been stolen.

Tons of crushed stone and hundreds of unused building bricks are lying around the site‚ which is just a stone’s throw from the Tyolomnqa River.

Copper wire has been stolen‚ and random equipment litters the site. A pile of hard hats and clock-in tags clutter up a corner of one of the chalets.

Former workers told the Daily Dispatch the containers had just recently been broken into and equipment stolen by thieves.

Full story in the Daily Dispatch