Picture: Northern Cape MEC for Roads and Public Works, Fufe Makatong officially opened the McDougalls Bay Public Ablution facility in Port Nolloth/Supplied
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
27 February 2026- The Northern Cape MEC for Roads and Public Works, Fufe Makatong officially opened the McDougalls Bay Public Ablution facility in Port Nolloth. Makatong said the facility valued at R390 000 and constructed over two financial years, was delivered through the Northern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works EPWP Grant, a program specifically designed to combine service delivery with meaningful job creation in communities that need it most.
“Today, we are celebrating not only a new piece of community infrastructure, but the determination and skill of the local Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) participants who built it with their own hands.
“We must never speak about infrastructure without speaking about people. Every rand of EPWP investment is a statement that infrastructure development and job creation are not separate goals, they are one and the same,” she said.
Makatong further said during the construction of the facility, a total of 19 work opportunities were created through the program. She added that, in a demonstration of true community ownership, the bricks used in the construction were manufactured by EPWP participants themselves at the municipal brick yard.
“The EPWP, led by the Northern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works, is a national program that provides temporary employment and training to unemployed and unskilled workers, giving participants an income, transferable skills, and restored dignity.
“In the Richtersveld Local Municipality alone, 124 employees and participants have been placed through the EPWP grant from July 2025 to date. The McDougalls Bay public ablution facility has been designed with full inclusivity at its core,” said Makatong.
She said it caters for males and females, people living with disabilities and members of the LGBTQI+ community. Makatong called on the community to take ownership of the facility, noting that it represents more than a government project.
“It is a product of community voices and patient advocacy. This facility belongs to you. It is a product of your voices and your patience, and I ask that you protect it, maintain it, and take pride in it as a community asset.
“The opening of the facility forms part of a broader EPWP investment in the Richtersveld that also includes the cleaning of the municipal CBD, fencing and paving of the municipal parking area, and brick manufacturing at the municipal brick yard,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Richtersveld Local Municipality mayor, Cornell Knoph said: “The facility will serve tourists and visitors who come to this stretch of the Northern Cape coastline, ensuring they are welcomed by dignified, functional and accessible amenities.”
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