Public Works minister demands probe into vacant Telkom HQ purchase

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson wants answers and an independent report into the purchase of the former Telkom headquarters building, following an oversight visit to the dirty, vandalised and vacant complex in the Pretoria CBD.

During the oversight visit, the department’s head of property management and trading entity Siza Sibande told the minister that parts of the building had been vacant since 2017 after its purchase by the department, in partnership with the South African Police Service (Saps) in 2016.

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.

Turned into a crime zone

“We have a huge structure which is underutilised and has become a cause of concern for crime and sabotage. It has turned into a crime zone,” he said.

Sibande said the building was fully furnished with a fully equipped gym and cafeteria before everything was stolen and vandalised.

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Some parts of the building cannot be accessed due to safety reasons.

“How is that possible and how is this allowed,” Macpherson asked.

Vandalised and occupied by criminal elements

Macpherson said it was simply unacceptable that for the past eight years, the building had been barely used and left vacant, which allowed it to be vandalised and occupied by criminal elements.

“We cannot spend another eight years trying to establish how to secure private and public property while they deteriorate into lawlessness,” he said.

Macpherson said he wanted to know what had led to the department buying the Telkom tower complex and whether the purchase was necessary at all.

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“We simply cannot be spending millions to repair and address vandalism, poor planning and spending by the department,” he said.

Macpherson said the department would start working closer with role players such as the City of Tshwane to ensure the department’s buildings were used for the public good and did not fall into disrepair and cause a burden for the municipality.

He also said it was not the City of Tshwane’s metro police department, or police’s responsibility for the security of the department’s buildings, adding that the current security was not efficient, hence illegal occupation in some parts.

Mayor welcomed minister’s probe

City of Tshwane mayor Cilliers 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.

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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.

“We also have to condemn buildings. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, if a building is unsafe for occupation, it must be condemned and then the consequences must follow,” he said.