Call for probe into neglected state buildings
THE Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) has called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to probe the mismanagement of government buildings that has resulted in unsafe working conditions.
The union has also criticised the lack of consultation over the relocation of its police members following the recent closure and evacuation of the unsafe old Telkom Towers building in the Pretoria CBD.
The building, which housed the SAPS head office, has been flagged as “unsafe and unfit” for human use. Police officers and other personnel were evacuated recently due to safety concerns.
Popcru president Thulani Ngwenya said that the union and other stakeholders should have been consulted, and the union included in decision-making processes.
“The recent events at Telkom Towers have severely disrupted the terms of employment for those affected. So, as Popcru, we insist on being part of discussions to ensure that the rights and concerns of workers and our members are being adequately addressed,” said Ngwenya.
He said Popcru wanted the responsibility for managing public buildings to be transferred from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) to the director-generals of respective government departments.
The union said it had noted long-standing concerns about mismanagement and neglect observed in government-owned properties, which it believes can be laid at the door of the DPWI.
“The control of maintenance budgets should not lie with the DPWI as they have consistently failed to manage buildings effectively. Telkom Towers is just one example of their failures, but there are many instances where maintenance issues have been neglected, resulting in substandard working conditions for government employees, including in our country’s police stations, traffic offices and prisons,” Ngwenya said.
He said Popcru had urged the Department of Employment and Labour to conduct thorough safety inspections of all public buildings housing essential services, and called on Cele to investigate those responsible for the sorry state of government buildings.
“We call upon Minister Bheki Cele to conduct a thorough investigation into the responsible parties and implement appropriate disciplinary measures, treating this issue with the same seriousness as any other misconduct in the department.”
The DPWI said that the Telkom Towers would be renovated and upgraded as part of its Build-Operate-Transfer programme.