R700m sunk into unfinished school building

Contractor woes mean spent cash can't be recouped

- By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane

The Mpumalanga government has spent more than R700-million on a school that was meant to rescue impoverished children on farms in the Mkhondo municipality but the pupils are still crammed in deplorable conditions.

The long-delayed Mkhondo Boarding School, in Piet Retief, was meant to uplift rural education. Instead, it has become a financial sinkhole that threatens to swallow over R748-million, with zero return on investment.

A confidential report presented to the provincial executive committee on April 3, 2025, and seen by Sunday World, shows that by March this year, R703,805,453.19 had already been spent, yet the school remains incomplete.

Construction began in 2018 with an initial spend of just over R51-million.

Each year since, more money has poured in: R213-million in 2019/20, R134-million in 2020/21, R79-million in 2022/23, and another R169-million in 2023/24.

The 2024/25 budget ring-fenced an additional R78.8-million, of which only 75.6% has been spent.