‘There is no cause for alarm’
“The entire project should take approximately 14 months, under normal conditions.
“The Speaker of the Legislature, Kenny Mmoiemang, has advised that the relocation of members and employees be given priority and promptly concluded while the members are still on constituency. The safety of all working at and visiting the Legislature building is of utmost importance.”
He added that all employees had been alerted not to utilise high-risk areas as a precautionary measure taken in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, in the interests of safety.
“Areas that are considered high risk, such as the basement and all lifts, have been prohibited from further use until tests have been concluded by the Department of Water and Sanitation to determine the origin of the underground water and that all electrical installations have been declared safe.”
Moopelwa explained that it was normal practice to relocate personnel to another location for the duration of the repairs.
“There is no cause for unease, as this project has been gradually planned and budgeted for. It is indeed necessary to relocate MPLs and support personnel to an off-site location, as it is required that, upon handing over the site to the contractor, there should be no occupied offices in the identified areas.”
Cope MPL Pakes Dikgetsi said that delays in finding suitable alternative accommodation for staff was due to “poor planning and management of provincial assets”.
“Major construction will be required, as for many years nothing was done regarding the maintenance and upkeep of the building. Apart from the R1 million fence that was erected around the perimeter, hardly any repair work has taken place since the cracks started showing,” said Dikgetsi. He pointed out that the R30 million that was allocated to repair the structural defects, was rolled-over funds from 2014/15 and later 2015/16 and now for the current financial year.
“The repairs regarding the underground water have not been included in this amount and additional funds will have to be sourced.
“The Legislature may be liable to pay penalties if the contractor has not started work on the specified date.”
DA provincial leader, Andrew Louw, had in 2014 stressed the need to rectify the “shocking state of disrepair” at the Legislature.
He had advised that the serious structural defects, which were mainly due to poor construction and shoddy workmanship, had to be repaired immediately by a specialist as it no longer complied with the National Building regulations.
Louw had indicated that the maintenance budget of R1 million in 2014 had been depleted by repainting the offices and erecting dry-wall partitions in the members’ wing.
“Following the results of the general elections in 2014 and the change in political representation, political parties had new office accommodation needs, which drained the Legislature’s coffers.”
Louw stated that the R2 million that was set aside through the Adjustment Appropriation Bill to upgrade security systems, could not be stretched to also address the serious structural defects.