Buckets for toilets and snakes: Inside 4 home affairs offices closed over health and safety issues

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has confirmed that four of his department’s offices have had to shut their doors in the last year due to health and safety concerns.

This was revealed in a recent parliamentary response to EFF MP Thapelo Mogale.

The four buildings shut for non-compliance were:

The Brits record storage facilities in the North West.

The warehouse was described last year as being in “bad condition”.

The Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) said it had received complaints from employees that walls were on the verge of collapse, side walls were cracked, bricks were falling from the walls, the roof was leaking, and floor spaces were unstable.

“The PSA visited the building on 2 March 2023 and requested that employees be vacated immediately owing to the high risk of an unsafe working environment.”

Management allegedly “hesitated to vacate the employees”, so the labour department was brought in and a prohibition notice was issued.

A temporary building was constructed to accommodate employees until the building was assessed by a structural engineer.

The Malamulele office in Limpopo.

The PSA said a visit to the site earlier this year found “20 employees who are forced to work in six tiny offices with no space for free movement”.

“Employees did not have access to functional, flushing toilets and were forced to use buckets for sanitation. Public toilets were also constantly out of order.

“The area smelt bad, forcing employees to permanently close windows, which created a problem with air circulation and ventilation.”

It said the office’s yard was not maintained and snakes posed a threat.

“Hygiene was neglected as there were no cleaners. There is no kitchen, forcing employees to eat in the
cramped offices.

“Movement was difficult as files were scattered with no proper storeroom. There is also poor lighting in the office,” it added.

The union said no proper shelter was provided for the waiting area, and those in line were at the mercy of the elements.

Harrison Street in Johannesburg, Gauteng

Although no details on the issue experienced at the Johannesburg central office were revealed, notices outside the building claim it has been closed due to a possible fire hazard on the property.

Residents reported finding locked gates and a note from the department saying the office was instructed to close for failing to comply with emergency services bylaws.

The bylaws mentioned relate to the fire department demanding compliance “to ensure the safety of any person or property”.

“As a result, we cannot allow any clients to enter the property, as it would be in contravention of the notice,” the department told residents.

Mobile units have been dispatched to provide services.

Sabie office in Mpumalanga.

In June last year, the PSA said it had received a complaint from members complaining of an “unconducive working environment”.

They claimed the office was operating for several days without water, electricity, and no communication lines.

“These challenges also affected members of the community who were travelling from distant towns to seek assistance and were informed about the lack of water and electricity.

“In a meeting with management, the PSA pointed out that such a crisis cannot be blamed on load shedding as the department needs to ensure that members of the public receive the services required.

A mobile truck was procured to provide services while the office was shut down.

Issues resolved

“The occupation health and safety non-compliance issues were attended to and the buildings are now operational again,” Schreiber said of the four offices.

Ensuring home affairs’ compliance

The minister admitted that some home affairs offices were found to be non-compliant with health and safety standards, but said it relied on the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

“As custodians of government immovable property, [that department must] ensure that the buildings that they own and manage are compliant and to enforce compliance with the various landlords.”

Schreiber said the department has established an occupational health and safety unit which monitors compliance.

“In addition, in all offices with more than 20 officials, the Department has appointed Health and Safety representatives to continuously monitor compliance.”

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Government buildings falling apart

The state of several government buildings has been in the spotlight in recent years, with the SA Police Service’s national head office in Pretoria “declared unfit for human use” in February.

It was one of five properties identified by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to be repaired and renovated in the first phase of its Refurbish, Operate and Transfer (ROTP) programme.

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The other four properties are the Public Works House, the Civitas building, the South African Police Service (SAPS) barracks, and the Department of Defence (DoD) apartments. 

The second phase of the project will involve around 50 properties.

In September 2023, Parliamentarians raised concerns over “the lack of maintenance of state properties” and “failure of the Public Works Department to present any detailed maintenance plan”.

Chairperson of the Public Works portfolio committee, Nolitha Ntobongwana, said if there had been routine maintenance the department could have prevented the possible hijacking of buildings.