Gauteng government faces criticism over R34 million spent on unused buildings
The DA in Gauteng has decried the state of hired buildings by various provincial departments, which are reportedly spending more than R34 million monthly in leasing privately owned buildings while the province has its own buildings that are not being utilised.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) is reported to own no less than 41 unused buildings, while many of its departments continue to pay millions in rental fees. This is an assertion made by the DA in the province.
According to the document from the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, 12 of these are in the Johannesburg Central Business District (CBD) and the remaining 29 are in the Pretoria CBD.
Due to financial constraints, most of these buildings do not meet Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards, making them unfit for use.
The Democratic Alliance's (DA) provincial spokesperson for Infrastructure Development, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, and a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, condemned the lack of accountability shown by the Gauteng government over reports that the province is paying over R34 million monthly in building leases instead of refurbishing its own properties to save costs.
On Wednesday, Rasilingwane conducted an oversight visit to one of the buildings on Fox Street in the Joburg CBD, where she and her team were denied the right to go ahead with their oversight visit to the building.
The building is said to be one of the properties currently being rented by the provincial government, while many of the buildings owned by the province are said to be rotting away unused.
The party stated that it has been reliably informed by some of the employees, as well as through its communication channels within the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, following an oral reply to MEC for Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo, who has confirmed that indeed the province is paying millions in rental fees.
"We wrote and sent questions to the MEC for Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo, who then responded to say the province has 41 buildings that are practically abandoned. We learned they are renting their head offices, including 11 buildings, one of which prevented our visit. This is a building meant to house the Department of Education.
"We have just come out of this building where we have been denied access to conduct our visit when we have been reliably informed by some of the workers that the building is actually not being utilised while the government pays R2.9 million a month," she stated.
Attempts to get a comment from the provincial Department of Infrastructure Development were unsuccessful at the time of going to print, with the Department of Education in the province having referred the matter to GDID for comment.
The DA said it was unacceptable that the GPG pays R34 104 005,07 monthly for office rentals for various departments while the province has its buildings.
"Following our oversight inspection, we will engage directly with the MEC for Infrastructure Development (GDID), Jacob Mamabolo, based on the findings," Rasilingwane further stated.
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za