By OBAKENG MAJE
5 March 2025- A R28 million facelift project at Taung Hotel School and Convention Centre was marred by challenges. Now, the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT), was forced to terminate the contractor after he allegedly failed to reach contractual obligations.
The centre is currently undergoing a major restructuring that would result in its expansion from its current capacity. In 2015, the then Department of Tourism (now the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism), embarked on the development and construction of the Taung Hotel School and Conference Centre Infrastructure Programme in efforts to improve the tourism infrastructure and skills development in the province.
According to the North West MEC for DEDECT, Bitsa Lenkopane, the main purpose of the infrastructure programme is to renovate and build additional infrastructure at the Taung Hotel School and Convention Centre in an attempt to convert the existing infrastructure to a Hotel School and Convention Centre into a State-of-art facilities.
Lenkopane said the resulting infrastructure is designed to provide a holistic educational and hospitality environment for beneficiary communities within the context of a Local Economic Development (LED), Rural Development and Community Development. She further said in the 2024/25 financial year, the department has allocated R28 million towards the renovation of the main hotel building and facilities.
“Many job opportunities will be created through the construction project of Taung Hotel School and Convention Centre. The ongoing project has created 78 jobs through local labourers and sub–contracting. This would continue to benefit the community for decades and would positively impact on the lives of many persons, who would in turn positively impact the lives of the community they reside in and the province as a whole.
“Yes, it is true we must close shops, we cannot be a construction site forever. Taung Hotel School and Convention Centre is a hotel and hotels must make money. We also have appointed new people who will complete the project. We told the IDT as implementing service that we are going to terminate its contract, if it does not deliver. So, it is true that they have terminated the contractor and the Head of Department briefed me that they have appointed the new one,” she said.
Lenkopane added that, once the hotel is up and running, they will hand it over.
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