Mould, damp carpets, a terrible smell, and roofs with large holes are some of the things that workers at the Gauteng West Department of Education in Randfontein have to put up with in their work space.
The damage to the buildings are so bad that people have had to start sharing office space in offices that are less damaged.
Some of the offices have to be vacated every time it rains due to serious leakage problems.
The Herald received numerous complaints in this regard and decided to investigate.
Upon arrival at the Department on 17 March, the Herald found that tables and chairs were covered in plastic in an attempt to prevent further damage.
According to a group of workers at the Department, they have been forced to work under these conditions for the past five months, and the recent rains have done nothing to improve their situation.
“I cannot even tell you how many times we have requested that something be done about this, but to date nothing has been done to improve the situation,” says one worker who wishes to remain anonymous.
She adds that this hampers the overall productivity at the office and as a result, services are not rendered effectively to local schools that need assistance.
The Herald has spoken to one of the senior officials at the Department who says that there are contractors on site who are set to repair the damages caused but they are moving at a very slow pace.
“We now have a situation where every time it rains, the damages get worse and obviously there are cost implications to that as well,” says the man.
Meanwhile, Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Phumla Sekhonyane says that workers’ complaints have been noted and that action has been taken to remedy the situation.
“We are aware of the conditions at this office and I can say that a contractor was appointed to effect the repairs in December 2013.
“We have expressed concerns about the delays and have issued the contractor with a written warning,” says Sekhonyane who adds that the deadline for the finalisation of the work is the first week of April.
