THE R22 million Motumo Trading Post tourism facility will soon get a new lease of life after rotting away for more than 16 years.
Capricorn District Mayor Mamedupi Teffo announced that plans to revive the project, located on the N1 North in Botlokwa, Limpopo, have been finalised.
The facility had been in ruins for years with vandalism and later some parts of the buildings going up in flames.
Teffo said the announcement comes after years of discussions with partners to resolve issues that have delayed progress in the rehabilitation of the facility over the years.
"All these issues have now been resolved after the agent, who was contracted by the National Department of Tourism to build the site between 2003 and 2006, reburied the remains on site and bore the cost," she said.
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Teffo said they were now in the final stages of appointing a strategic partner to assess and rehabilitate the facility.
"There was a meeting with various role players at the facility where it was decided that the Machaka Traditional Authority is the owner of the land on which the facility was built," Teffo said.
She said it was also agreed that jobs would be created for residents when the rehabilitation commences, that Sanral and the SA Heritage Resource Agency would investigate the whereabouts of three remaining or missing bones, and that part of the facility would be designated as a heritage site.
The project was launched by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in 2003 and handed over to the municipality in 2009 to maintain and generate funds.
It was meant to be a platform for local tourism entrepreneurs to showcase their product,s and also to provide accommodation for travellers along the route.
University of Limpopo geography lecturer Dr Tebogo Malahlela told Daily Sun that the facility is located in an area that's rich as it is on the Tropic of Capricorn.
"The Tropic of Capricorn cuts across the entire globe. This area has a moderate climate which is good for growing bananas, oranges, avocados and other crops. The soil is also good for growing agricultural produce," he said.
