Brick and mortar
R124m project well under way to provide government offices
PUBLIC works is busy with the construction of a three-storey building, set to house the new offices of the education department and the department of sport, recreation, arts and culture (DSRAC), in the grounds of Komani Hospital along the N6.
The project is valued at R124m.
The building will have 195 offices, six server rooms, eight storerooms, five boardrooms and a reception space with a waiting area for visitors.
Public works communication director Vuyokazi Mbanjwa said the project was in response to an effort to reduce the lease expenditure and to utilise the existing state-owned property portfolio more effectively.
“The department identified state-owned buildings that were under-utilised and in a bad condition.
“A decision was taken to renovate and upgrade these buildings for use by different government departments. The old buildings identified included Komani Hospital wards that had become redundant.”
Mbanjwa said the new structure was phase 7 of a project involving government offices in Komani, with the completion date set for March 2019.
Schauman Construction from Bloemfontein is the main contractor of the project.
The consultants on the project include Inga Vangqa Quantity Surveyors and Vast Engineers from Komani. Songo Design Lab and Project Managers and Element Consulting Engineers from East London and SKC Maletswai from Aliwal North.
In addition to this structure, completed projects involved in the first six phases were a R4.3-million building for the department of rural development & agrarian reform in 2007, completion of work on a building for the health department valued at R10.6m in 2008.
In the third phase, work on the department of education and department of health building was completed at R13.8m in 2009 with phase 4 including work, at R29m, on the department of economic development & environment affairs, department of co-operative governance & traditional affairs and department of human settlements and a conference facility in 2011.
Phase 5 comprised the upgrade of water and waste water infrastructure, construction of undercover parking, construction of a canteen and installation of back-up generator sets at R19m in 2014.
Phase 6 was completed at a cost of R40m in 2017.