ICC COMPLETION DATE EXTENDED AGAIN

MBABANE - Once again, government has extended the completion date for the expensive International Convention Centre (ICC).

The completion date is now April 2025. This is reflected in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development Second Quarter Performance report which was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday. Worth noting is that when delivering the speech from The Throne in February this year, His Majesty King Mswati III, highlighted that following the nation’s submissions at Sibaya, it is vital that government takes immediate action to revive the national economy and improve service delivery to all areas of the kingdom.

The King said it is critical that the country’s major capital projects and infrastructure developments proceed. In particular, the King said the completion of the ICC/FISH needed to be prioritised in the current financial year. In the same vein, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg gave hope that projects such as the ICC are going to be prioritised this year. Rijkenberg said in line with the National Development Agenda, this year’s budget will address social challenges, building infrastructure and provide for economic growth.

He said, to attain this growth, government will be prioritising the completion of existing capital projects and spending in excess of E1 billion more on capital infrastructure, compared to the previous years actual spend. “Major projects to be completed include the International Conference Centre (ICC), the Manzini-Mpandze Highway, the Mpandze-Mbandlane Highway, the Nhlangano-Sicunusa road, the Manzini Golf course interchange, Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project (LUSIP) phase 2, the Biotechnology Park, Buhleni Police Station and the Shiselweni Network Reinforcement projects,” reads part of what Rijkenberg said when presenting the Budget Speech in February, this year.

Existing

He said prioritising the completion of existing projects, should position the country to start seeing economic returns from the operationalisation of these projects, and create space in the capital budget for new projects going forward. When this project commenced in 2012, government estimated that it would cost around E370 million; with the ICC expected to set the taxpayer back by E290 million and the FISH anticipated to be completed for an amount of E80 million. Then, the FISH was referred to as the Millennium Hotel.

That financial year (2012/2013), E65 million and E80 million in local funds for the ICC and Millennium Hotel were released, respectively.
Today, the project is still ongoing and the costs are no longer millions but billions that are now synonymous with this infrastructure development.
The Book of Government Budget Estimates for the years from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2024, which Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg tabled in Parliament alongside the Appropriation Bill, shows that the ICC&FISH are now projected to cost the country an estimated E7 billion.

In the Second Quarter Performance Report, it is stated that the revised practical completion date for the ICC is now April 2025. The overall completion rate, the report states, is 84 per cent, including the interior fit out. It is mentioned that justification for revised practical completion date on the ICC is that the interior sub-contractor for the high end finishes of the ICC is based in Italy and production is done in Italy hence the completion date for this sub-contractor is April 2025.

Interior

This completion date includes assembly of the interior onsite. In terms of progress, the report states that works on both the high end and general areas are progressing well and these include; the ceiling boards installation, plastering, mouldings, ceiling decorative detailing and applying of base paint.
Also mentioned regarding progress is that the installation of the wall cladding/boiserie by Turri is complete in the small conference rooms and other important rooms. “Wall and floor marble polishing is complete in most of the high end areas.

Fittings including sanitary and building services are almost complete in all the rooms,” reads part of the report. In terms of challenges, the report lamented late payments by government resulting in accumulation of interest charges. Another challenge highlighted is the inadequate budget allocation to the project resulting in increased costs and time overruns. In terms of background, the purpose of the G585/99/63 International Convention Centre (ICC) Project is to provide a world-class conferencing facility along with an associated five-star hotel.

The long-term goal, according to government, is to provide facilities that will be used by the private sector including regional and international organisations such as SADC, COMESA, World Health Organisation, World Trade Organisation, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and Commonwealth meetings in which the country is a member. Government has always emphasised that the ICC will accommodate a range of government, public and corporate activities including theatre, conferences, exhibitions and private functions.

In the report, it is highlighted that the ICC’s multipurpose hall, theatre and exhibition space have also been designed to allow flexibility in usage.
The whole building has been designed according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The ICC consist of basement level for storage and utilities, theatre for 1 800 patrons on two levels – ground and balcony, meeting, conference and multipurpose rooms over two levels, VIP reception rooms, exhibition hall with refreshment and coffee shop, chamber hall –sufficient to house African Union and other conferences, multipurpose hall for 1 500 people in ballroom seating and 3 000 persons in classroom seating, restaurant for 340 diners and catering facilities for banquet receptions.

Ongoing

It is mentioned that the ongoing works onsite are primarily focused on the interior fit out of the facility, which includes trades such as ceiling works, wall (acoustic padding, tiling and painting), floors, tiling and carpets, fitting including sanitary and building services and supply of furniture, decorative fitting and chandeliers.

On another note, the G616/99/63 Five-Star Hotel Project is situated on the northern end of the site and is linked to the ICC by a pedestrian bridge.
The hotel comprises a total area of 51 000 square metres and consists of seven floors including the basement with a total of 299 rooms, central foyer, all-day café, shopping and coffee shop, restaurant/ballroom, gymnasium, multipurpose rooms, outdoor decks and entertainment plus a large swimming pool.In terms of achievements, the report states that the hotel’s grey box is substantially complete and that the focus of works currently, is on the swimming pool and the cladding.

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