Eskom’s R1bn ‘mini-town’ left to rot: residents’ photos show decay

Ghost town near Kusile

Walking through the Wilge Residential Development outside eMalahleni, the scene is eerie: dark, empty stairwells, cracked concrete corridors and overgrown yards where a planned workforce community never took root. The development contains 336 flats that remain incomplete and unoccupied, according to onsite images and reporting by the Citizen.

Costs, timelines and who said what

The Citizen reports that the project began with a budget of R160 million in 2008, and was later reported at a cost of R258 million in 2012, but that expenditure escalated to more than R1 billion and the development was abandoned around 2019. The outlet also reports that Eskom spent over R800 million on the development.

Official responses and past statements

The Citizen says Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena did not respond to questions about the project. The outlet also reports that in November 2024 Mokwena said Eskom was negotiating with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) about investigating the matter.

On the ground: vandalism and loss of work

Journeys through the site found broken windows, removed fittings, vandalised roofs and evidence of people moving through the blocks. The yard was scattered with building material, hardened cement bags and heaps of gravel. A local man who said he once worked on the project told reporters he is now unemployed.

Residents and sources at the scene told the Citizen that theft and vandalism have taken their toll. One anonymous resident quoted by the outlet said lack of security at first allowed people to steal building material, and alleged that some current security staff were complicit in vandalism.

Calls for accountability

The Citizen reports that DA spokesperson on energy and electricity Kevin Mileham said:

“Those flats are standing empty and have been that way for more than 10 years.”

The outlet also quotes Themba Godi, leader of the African People’s Convention and former chair of the parliamentary standing committee on public accounts, who asked why officials and contractors have not been held to account. Wayne Duvenage, CEO of Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, told the Citizen the case shows weak oversight and poor project governance.

What remains

The Wilge Residential Development stands incomplete and largely deserted, its concrete shells hosting birds and weeds rather than the Kusile plant workers it was intended for. The Citizen’s reporting and images show a large, unfinished housing project that has deteriorated since construction halted.

Questions raised in the reporting point to gaps in project oversight and the need for clarity on past spending and any investigations. The Citizen’s coverage records the project’s troubled cost trajectory and the present state of decay.