South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that it will start restoring the Rhodes Memorial Estate that was gutted by a fire in April 2021.
Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) manager Megan Taplin said the announcement followed a rigorous process for the appointment of a suitable architectural service provider who had knowledge of heritage building structures.
“This establishment, which forms an integral part of the TMNP, will receive a new lease of life following the appointment Gabriel Fagan Architects.”
Taplin said the appointed company’s scope of work included drafting plans for the tearoom and associated ablutions, and consulting Heritage Western Cape about compliance measures.
She said it was important to consider the extent of the damage and the work that needed to be done.
“This necessitates additional funding, which we have, fortunately, secured from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, along with the insurance funding which was not sufficient to cater for all the work needed.”
Once the restoration work had been completed, a request for proposals (RFP) would be advertised for an operator for the tearoom and associated activities.
“This RFP will be issued in line with the Public-Private Partnership Toolkit for Tourism, and in compliance with the National Treasury Regulations in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999.”
SANParks has expressed its gratitude to the public for their patience during this time and to the Friends of Rhodes Memorial for their continuous contribution to the area.
“We will continue to keep the public and interested parties informed of developments and when the construction of the tearoom begins,” said Taplin.