The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, has ordered an investigation into abandoned police offices.
Macpherson visited the former Telkom headquarters building on Thursday, accompanied by City of Tshwane mayor and fellow DA member, Cilliers Brink.
The building has allegedly been vacant since 2016, when it was purchased for R695-million and renovated for R250-million.
He said an independent report should, within 60 days, give necessary steps to address and remedy the situation.
The minister questioned whether the purchase was necessary. He also quizzed if the processes followed for appointments of contracts were fit for purpose and whether there are any officials that should be held accountable for the position that the department now finds itself in.
He also seeks to understand if there are possible ways to reclaim the money that was paid to the contractors for work that is still not done.
Burden on the City of Tshwane
“It is disheartening that so much public funding has been spent to purchase and renovate the building, but it was allowed to be vandalised and occupied by criminal elements, thereby creating an additional burden for the City of Tshwane,” said Macpherson.
He said the department could not allow contractors to spend more than eight years establishing how public property could be secured while it deteriorates into lawlessness.
He said the department needed to move faster in ensuring that public investments were secured and put to use to avoid further deterioration and waste of public money.
“We simply cannot be spending millions to repair and address vandalism, and poor planning and spending by the department.
“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 investments, and turn the country into a construction site,” said Macpherson.
