Quaystone ‘eyesore’ SASCCO building project managers
MBABANE – Quaystone Consultants have been appointed project managers for the re-commissioned construction of the old Swaziland Association of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SASSCO) building in Mbabane.
The incomplete building had been abandoned for more than 15 years, turning it into a den for loiterers and a haven for criminal activity. The ground level is currently used by motorists and some public transport owners for parking. Generally, the site had been a safety concern for residents in Mbabane.
Besides being a safety concerns, the abandoned building was currently an eyesore to the city and compromised its aesthetics as the first thing one sees when coming into town.
A proposal made by Umlamuli (Pty) Ltd was to complete the existing SASSCO building into an office block as originally envisaged. The proposed project entailed the redevelopment of the existing concrete structure into a landmark office development.
Du-Van Developers were engaged for the completion of an existing office block on Lot 3161 (SASCCO building), Mbabane and they subsequently engaged the consulting company, Quaystone Consultancy, for management purposes.
DEVELOPMENT
Quaystone Consultancy has a footprint in other African countries and their main focus is on property development consultancy and project management. The company has its headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Frans du Plessis of Quaystone Consultancy posted in his LinkeIn account that they were excited to be a part of the landmark project. He further posted an impression of how the complete office blocks would look like.
“Delighted to have been appointed as the Project Managers (client side), for the Du-van Office Complex in Mbabane, Eswatini. Planned completion date 2025,” wrote du Plessis in the brief post.
The new design, as shared by du Plessis, captures the essence of a modern office building, together with attributes that contribute to a quality indoor environment and wellbeing, offering flexibility for multiple tenants and operational changes. A double parking area and a much level ground with flora forms part of the 3-D impressions.
The proposed development is located on the portion of land between S.R Flats and New York House on the hillside between Church and Dr Walker Streets, Mbabane.
APPROVED
The existing building was approved for implementation by the Eswatini Environmental Authority (EEA) in 2002 and the project activities stopped before the building was completed and stalled for more than 15 years.
According to a survey report on the existing structure, done by structural engineers, the building was discovered to be structurally sound with no signs of distress. The condition of the exposed reinforcement steel bars was observed to be ‘generally okay’, requiring only minimal treatment to render the bars usable.
“The project will play a significant role for the country in meeting the most economic of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), like promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth. One of the major concerns regarding the completion activity of the structure is if structurally the foundations and supports that were set more than 15 years ago can still be used, and can still sustain the structure for its design life,” reads the report.
The assessment further discovered that the structural frame of the building consists of cast in-situ reinforced concrete columns and beams with nine cast in-situ reinforced concrete floor slabs (basement, ground, first to seventh floor), a structural steel roof covered with metal sheeting all on cast in-situ reinforced concrete pile caps and auger piles socket into rock.
However, the site was found to be disturbed as no indigenous flora was on the surface but only alien invasive species, mainly bug weed in the vacant plots around the building. Though the site is in close proximity to the Mbabane River, which is a tributary to the Lusushwana River that drains the Great Usuthu River, the hydrological assessment indicated that there was a low flood risk that may result from the implementation of the project.
CONFIRMED
The Municipal Council of Mbabane also gave the redevelopment of the building an approval. The council wrote to the developers and confirmed the structural integrity report of the existing building and urged the developers to submit the same to the relevant environmental offices for their records. The council observed that the scrutiny of the designs was also substantially complete and, therefore, issued a conditional building permit.
The abandoned building was purchased by the Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF), through its subsidiary company, Umlamuli (Pty) Limited for E35 900 000.
At the start, the construction of the building was partly financed by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). It was earlier reported that members of SASCCO were supposed to fork out around E25 million for the construction and DBSA would pay the balance for the completion of the building.
While a portion of the money to be paid by PSPF will be channelled to the DBSA, a part of it will be placed in a pool to be shared by creditors, who had proven their claims after the liquidation of Kwakitsi Investment (Pty) Ltd, which was a subsidiary company of SASCCO.
The liquidator of Kwakitsi, Paul Mulindwa, successfully filed an application at the High Court for the sanctioned of the deed of compromise between the parties, which was initially signed by the master of the High Court.
Mulindwa brought it to the attention of the court that the major creditors in the insolvent estate were, Du-Van Developers, who were contracted by Kwakitsi Investments to construct the multi-storey building and DBSA, which extended a loan of E25 million to enable the construction of the building.
The court was informed that Kwakitsi and Du-Van Developers had agreed to compromise their claims in the interest of creditors.
“I discovered that the company was insolvent in that its assets were estimated to be approximately E60 358 895. Pursuant to my investigations, I prepared a report which clearly demonstrated that the company was indeed insolvent,” submitted the liquidator.
INSUFFICIENT
A company becomes insolvent if the total value of its assets is insufficient to pay its debts and liabilities.
Mulindwa averred that his report indicated that the major reason for the insolvency was that the loan was insufficient to cover the costs of the construction and this resulted in the building being rendered incomplete.
“The building now stands as an incomplete structure and an eyesore in the capital city of the county. Since approximately 2014, to date, I together with Maurice DuPont of Du-Van Developers have explored various options to find a suitable purchaser who would be able to salvage the project,” said Mulindwa.
The Structural Integrity Report on the old building was done by Project Civil and Structural Engineer, ED Simelane and Associates while a Structural Condition Assessment Report was done by Strux-it Projects who were the structural engineers commissioned by the project funder, PSPF.