Palace Barracks Simon’s Town in Utter Decay

In 2022 IOL published a piece talking about the terrible condition of the Palace Barracks in Simon’s Town. In the article the writer spoke about how the building is “a shadow of its former self, with clear signs of collapse.”

Three years on, the decay has only accelerated.

At the time of writing this piece, the Palace Barracks is occupied by at least one vagrant. Its interior has been stripped, with numerous floorboards removed, bathroom fixtures stolen, and graffiti covering the walls.

Here is a picture of the Palace Barracks.

History of the Palace Barracks

Built by the Dutch in 1785, the building was bought by John Osmon in 1814 and used primarily for entertainment. During the second Anglo-Boer War, it was repurposed as a hospital for prisoners. In 1971 it was declared a National Monument, and in 2005 the building was restored for naval officers.

Why the decay?

In the IOL article we are told that the Palace Barracks was converted into a Provincial Heritage Site under the National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA) 25 of 1999.

What this means is that the maintenance of the building is the responsibility of the Heritage Western Cape. CEO Michael Janse van Rensburg claims that Heritage Western Cape “did not provide funding for the restoration or maintenance of sites.”

Funding constraints are often cited as the reason for the deterioration of public buildings. But there is another explanation that goes deeper than funding.

Since the late 1990s, the South African government has prioritized the transformation agenda, also called social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This single focus of the South African government has produced many negative consequences, including the decay of infrastructure. How?

By focusing on so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), South Africa has become one giant non-profit where skin color and gender are more important than excellence, productivity, and the upkeep of buildings.

South Africa in 2025 is an economic and political system with perverse incentives. Neglect is rewarded, while efforts at maintenance or restoration are opposed.

Dr. Anthea Jeffrey has long documented the consequences of transformation, while more recently Professor Frantz, deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation at the University of the Western Cape, has described transformation as a “reshuffling of power.”

This reshuffling has affected every single part of South Africa, including Heritage Western Cape. What this effectively means is that the economy cannot grow and everything decays because the focus is on replacing one group with another.

When state policy centers on redistribution, social justice, diversity, and equity rather than on performance or efficiency, the result is institutional stagnation and, eventually, decay.

Unless we reject transformation entirely, nothing will ever improve. Everything will decay just like the Palace Barracks in Simon’s Town.