By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson says he will commission an independent probe into the purchase of the former Telkom headquarters building in 2016 for R695 million and its subsequent renovation for R250 million.
Joined by the City of Tshwane Mayor, Cilliers Brink, on an oversight visit to the building on Thursday morning, Macpherson said it is unacceptable that for the past eight years, the building complex has barely been utilised and has been left vacant.
Other parts of the building were vacated earlier this year after the department of labour declared it was not inhabitable and suitable for the Saps.
“It is disheartening that so much public funding has been spent to purchase and renovate the building, [and it has been] vandalised and occupied by criminal elements, thereby creating an additional burden for the City of Tshwane,” Macpherson said.
The Minister said the terms of reference for the independent investigation will be to provide him with answers to the following questions:
- What led to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure buying the Telkom Tower complex and whether the purchase was necessary?
- What was the process which was followed for contracts to be appointed and whether the contractors were fit for purpose?
- Whether the purchase of the complex by the Department of Public Works was the best option for the South African Police Service?
- Whether any officials should be held accountable for the position the department finds itself in, in relation to the purchase and renovation of the building?
- Are there any grounds to reclaim any monies paid to contractors where work was not done, or not done according to building standards or health and safety standards?
- What will be the best way forward considering the current state of the building?
- What steps can be taken to avoid the situation from occurring again?
“As the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, we need to start moving faster to ensure that public investments are secured and utilised to avoid the wastage of any public monies in a fiscally constrained environment.
“We simply cannot be spending millions to repair and address vandalism, and poor planning and spending by the department,” the Minister said.
“We will have to start working closer with role players such as the City of Tshwane to ensure our buildings are used for the public good and do not fall into disrepair and cause a burden for the municipality. By working together, we can reclaim these buildings, unleash infrastructure investment and turn the country into a construction site. Let’s Build South Africa, “the Minister said.
Brink welcomed the minister’s probe into the Telkom Tower complex and said these buildings such as these had an effect on the quality of life, safety and cleanliness of inner cities.
“The department is the largest property owner in the city, and we as the city are committed to having a constructive relationship with property owners,” he said.
Brink said he could only see things improving with the minister’s approach to Telkom Towers and looked forward to working with him.
“We are reviewing the city’s derelict buildings by-laws. It has come up against some constitutional challenges. Unfortunately, our eviction law in South Africa makes it difficult to get control back once you have lost it or a building has been hijacked,” he said.
Brink said they were working to establish a derelict buildings by-law that would empower the city as much as possible under the current framework to act against private landlords who weren’t compliant.