For 24 hours a day, a lone guard sits on a rock next to the gates of the multimillion-rand Cradock Garden of Four monument, a tourist attraction on the outskirts of the tiny Karoo town. He is there to keep out visitors to this landmark, built in memory of four of Cradock's most famous residents - activists Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkonto and Sicelo Mhlauli, who were killed by the apartheid regime.The guard keeps visitors out at the insistence of the local Inxuba Yethemba municipality, which is desperately trying to hide the shocking state of the monument.Five years after being built, the complex is yet to be opened, because some features remain incomplete.The palisade fencing is down in parts, the visitors' centre has been vandalised, broken glass is everywhere, door handles have been removed and the floors are littered with faeces.story_article_left1In addition, light fittings have either been damaged or removed and there are no signs of electricity or water supply.Such is the state of disrepair that the 30-year commemoration event, planned for six weeks from now, has been pushed back to mid-December."As families, we had all agreed on the date of July 20, but there is just no way we can get that place up to scratch by then. It is embarrassing," said Cradock Four Trust chairman Mbulelo Goniwe.Mbulelo is the brother of Matthew Goniwe. He said the celebrations, which were expected to draw many visitors, would have been centred on the garden, a stone's throw from Lingelihle township, where the four men lived.The Cradock Four were abducted on their way to Port Elizabeth in 1985 and murdered by the security police.In 1999, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission refused to grant amnesty to six security policemen for the murders. But they were never prosecuted.When the Sunday Times visited the centre this week, signs of work totalling R10-million that was approved in 2012 were nowhere to be seen.Construction of the project cost R15-million, and an additional R13-million was approved recently by the Department of Tourism for outstanding work and repairs. There was no sign of work this week.Lineo Bebeza, the unit manager under the municipality's local economic development directorate, under which the project falls, was unable to comment. She said her boss was not around to give her permission to speak.The garden complex might have brought some hope to the communities of Cradock, where unemployment is 25%, and 33% among young people.Sindiswa Mkonto - a trustee and the widow of Sparrow Mkonto - believes it is the unemployed youth who are destroying the memorial and site."As you can see, Cradock is a very poor place and the worst affected are our young people. That is why you're seeing them destroy things like this monument. And when we asked for this, we wanted it to employ the youth here."full_story_image_hleft1Sindiswa, a Grade R teacher in the township, last visited the centre in 2014.She said she could not bring herself to return because it was too painful to see it in such a "wasteful state".The facility has never been operational since construction was completed and has yet to be handed over to the local municipality by the Department of Tourism, which has been responsible for it so far.It was supposed to have a visitor s' centre and an amphitheatre for use by nearby communities. Kiosks were meant to generate an income to fund other projects in the community.The families of the four activists had always wanted the centre to be staffed by locals, and serve as a centre for children to use after school."This [legacy project] was spearheaded by our elders, who were directly involved when all this happened."They were the ones who felt the pain when our parents were murdered," said Calata family member Lukhanyo. "This was meant to symbolise and honour these people that we lost."Trevor Bloem, a spokesman for the department, said: "The community of Cradock benefited from skills transfer as well as the creation of more than 100 fulltime-equivalent jobs in the Cradock community during construction."Bloem could not explain why the site had been dormant for so long, saying only that the department "strongly" denounced the vandalism. He said further work would begin in July.skitis@sundaytimes.co.za..