The exorbitant expenditure on rental space that costs over R30-million has incensed the Public Servants Association (PSA) on how the government money is being misused.
PSA in Gauteng showed its outrage at recent revelations regarding the provincial government’s exorbitant expenditure on renting office space, where it was revealed that the state was paying multi-million rands for rental.
This is despite the Gauteng government owning 41 buildings across the province that remain vacant and in a state of disrepair.
Government buildings vacant, in a state of disrepair
According to PSA’s Acting Deputy General Manager, Claude Naiker, the wasteful expenditure was unacceptable. This is “especially when these funds could be better utilised to improve public services and infrastructure”, he said.
He said the Gauteng government had admitted that the vacant buildings are not being used due to non-compliance with Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards.
“The PSA believes that government should prioritise the refurbishment and maintenance of these buildings. This will ensure they meet the required standards, rather than wasting millions on renting private office space. The millions spent on the rentals could have been correctly used to fix the non-complying buildings,” said Naiker.
The union wants the provincial government to conduct a comprehensive audit of all government-owned buildings. It must also develop a maintenance plan to bring them up to OHS standards.
Union calls for solution to prevent future wasteful expenditure
“Furthermore, they need to implement a sustainable solution to prevent future wasteful expenditure. This includes the proper maintenance and utilisation of government owned buildings,” he said.
Naiker said that his union stands firm in its commitment to ensuring that public funds are used responsibly. They should be used effectively for the benefit of all citizens. And PSA urged the provincial government to take swift and decisive action to rectify this situation. To also prevent further misuse of taxpayer money.
“The PSA condemns this gross mismanagement of public resources. And it calls for immediate action to address this issue,” he said.
A few days ago, it was reported that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has hired an independent forensic firm to look into the lease contracts. This was in response to media reports that the provincial government is paying R34-million a month to rent space for government offices. All this while some government-owned buildings remain empty.
R2.2bn in five years wasted on rentals
This past weekend, media reports surfaced that the provincial government is paying R34-million rent a month to house its 11 head offices in the Johannesburg CBD. The same government owns 41 buildings across the province, all of which remain vacant.
The reports stated that it means the provincial government has been spending more than R400-million a year. It has been spending about R2.2-billion in the last five years to house its political heads. These include the premier and his 10 MECs.
