Bathurst village residents met recently to discuss what should become of Centenary Hall. The community facility was gutted in a fire on February 7 2022. Roofing and other items were subsequently removed from the building. Some residents are concerned that the site is a safety hazard and would like to see it demolished; others feel they lost a valuable community asset and historical treasure.
The meeting was called by the Bathurst Residents and Ratepayers Association and chairperson Elizabeth Milne said the discussion was one of many that needed to take place, not just among those residents living in the village, but including others who formed part of the organisation’s mandate to represent, including surrounding farms as well as Noluykhanyo.
There to provide the historical background of the building was local history researcher and Bathurst resident Nick Cowley. Ndlambe Municipality’s Admin Manager: Corporate Services, Jackie Nel, provided information about Ndlambe’s position regarding the hall.
Cowley said the hall was built to commemorate the centenary of the arrival uin the area of settlers from Britain; however it was uncertain exactly when. Two commemorative inscribed foundation stones reflected August 1902 and April 1920 as significant dates.
Older residents Cowley had interviewed confirmed it had been very much a community hall for the village. It had been the administrative seat of Bathurst whose local council had met there and it had been hired for private functions such as 21st birthdays, dances, school plays and Christmas functions.
Under the new democratic dispensation, Ndlambe Municipality had taken ownership of the venue. It had been used to store some Council records, as an IEC voting station and as a matric exam venue.
Nel explained that an essential component of any action regarding the hall was a properly constituted public participation (PP) meeting organised by Ndlambe’s PP unit. The legislated process was then for Council to consider that PP report and any associated recommendations.
Nel first dismissed rumours that the fire had been the result of polirtical unrest, or that there had been squatters living in the hall. Two reports on the fire – the first was by the fire services manager, a qualified fire investigator and the second was a full forensic investigation by the police. Both reports concluded that there was no evidence of the fire being caused by malicious behavior (for example, arson).
The insurers’ investigator had, on the other hand, had heard that there were squatters living in the building and consequently declined to pay. Following a settlement with the municipality, they eventually agreed to pay out just over R500 000.
While this was far from enough to completely rebuild and refurbish the facility, a structural engineer had been brought in to assess the building. According to that assessment, both the foundations and the bottom section of the building were stable, making it suitable for rebuilding should that be the decision.
She said the municipality was aware that the community was strongly divided about the future of Centenary Hall between those who wanted to see the building demolished, and those who wanted it rebuilt. A decision that would have to be made were it to be demolished was whether it should be done internally through the municipality, or by an external contractor appointed through a tender process.
In the discussions that followed, questions were asked about the insurance claim, roof sheeting and other items removed by a local contractor. Residents expressed strong opinions about the future of the building, with suggestions ranging from returning it to the village for use as a social venue; demolishing it and using the funds to upgrade the community hall in Nolukhanyo; and rebuildling it in order to extend the premises and facilities of the Bathurst public library.
Milne summarised the process, saying it was clear that nothing could be done until a formal public participation process had been concluded.
“We have a ruin and a non-decision will give us nothing,” Milne said. “Since we have R500 00 to replace a R5-million-rand building, we need to collaborate with the municipality.”
Nel said the municipality welcomed the discussions and undertook to establish what Ndlambe’s current policies on public participation were.
Milne said the BARRA committee would undertake to liaise with the municipality and set out a plan that would allow progress while meeting the procedural requirements of local government.
