Transport Museum neglected

GEORGE NEWS - The condition of a precious asset in George, the Outeniqua Transport Museum, has been deteriorating because no maintenance is being done. Complaints about this have apparently fallen on deaf ears.

"It is a tragedy as this is the only museum of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and used to be a tourist icon in the Garden Route," says a concerned resident.

"The gutters are clogged, so when it rains the water runs down the outside walls. Some of the toilets have been out of order for ages and the same goes for many of the lights that are not working. The museum has also been closed for much longer than was necessary in terms of Covid regulations.

"The restaurant has been closed for one and a half years and it seems there is no desire to get it up and running again. It offered the unique experience of dining in a coach, which was very popular."

During a recent visit by George Herald, weeds along the entrance-way and around the parking area, and overgrown lawns painted a picture of neglect. It was also obvious that the outside locomotives have not been cleaned for some time and cobwebs were accumulating on them. Inside the building, lighting was poor as only some of the lights were burning.

When approached for comment, Kobus Volschenk, a former manager of the museum who retired a few years ago, said the situation is unacceptable.

"It creates a poor image of a facility that houses some of the most unique historical items that should be protected and handled with care. More than 50% of the lights are not working. The roof is leaking and water streams in when it rains. Some invaluable items could be lost forever if water damage occurs."

The museum houses the first steam locomotive used in Johannesburg and also two coaches of the White Train in which the British royal family travelled through George in 1947.

The entrance gate that "welcomes" visitors.

Transnet

Upon inquiry on whether George Tourism could assist in some way, manager Joan Shaw said the municipality does not have jurisdiction to inspect or address issues such as maintenance of assets that are not council property. "The municipality cannot apply resources to property owned by Transnet, and such a request would not be permissible."

Transnet's media department said the museum faced challenges regarding upkeep due to Covid-19 and budgetary constraints, but Transnet Property is attending to urgent maintenance matters.

"A team from Port Elizabeth has been dispatched to attend to some maintenance issues such as the lights, toilets and gutters and are expected to complete these tasks before the end of November. In the last financial year, we installed a pump for the fire suppression system," said spokesperson Ayanda Shezi.

She said they are looking at increasing physical inspections of the building to ensure defects are picked up and resolved more quickly.

"The precinct-wide renovations form part of our Capex pipeline which is included in the coming financial year, 2022/23. The general renovation of the museum is under consideration and an announcement will be made in due course."

The unkempt entrance.