Rent unpaid, staff locked out of office
According to sources, the department allegedly last paid rent in November 2023.
The KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) district office in Port Shepstone was temporarily inaccessible due to unpaid rent.
Photographs of EDTEA staff members standing outside the locked Port Shepstone offices circulated on social media on Tuesday this week.
According to sources, the department allegedly last paid rent in November 2023.
It is also alleged that several letters pleading with the department to pay rent were ignored.
However, the spokesperson for KZN EDTEA, Bongi Gwala, said office accommodation is under the jurisdiction of the KZN Department of Public Works.
He said the lease agreement for this particular office is between the Department of Public Works and the landlord, saying that all payments were made by the department according to the lease terms.
Gwala said the department notified EDTEA, the end-user department, that the delay in rental payment was allegedly due to the landlord’s non-compliance with tax regulations.
“The EDTA confirms that after discussions between the Department of Public Works and the landlord, the offices have now been opened,” he said.
Before the 2024 general elections, South Coaster Siboniso Duma was the KZN EDTEA MEC. Now, Reverend Musa Zondi is the newly-appointed MEC for the department.
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