The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) has called for Minister of Police Bheki Cele to probe those involved in mismanaging government buildings which has resulted in unsafe working conditions.
The union has also strongly criticised the lack of consultation regarding the relocation of its police members following the recent closure and evacuation of the unsafe old Telkom Tower building in Pretoria CBD.
The conditions of the building came under fire when early this year, Cele revealed that for over a year now, he has been working from home due to the unsafe conditions at the building.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has its head office located in the Telkom Towers Building in the Pretoria CBD.
The building has been flagged as being “unsafe and unfit” for human use. This resulted in the police officers and other personnel being evacuated due to safety concerns.
Ngwenya said the union and other stakeholders should have been consulted through formal discussions, emphasising the importance of including the union in decision-making processes concerning such significant changes.
“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. There must be transparent communication and consultation with all parties involved,” said Ngwenya.
Furthermore, Ngwenya said POPCRU wanted the responsibility for managing public buildings, such as the Telkom Towers complex, 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 more instances where maintenance issues have been neglected, resulting in substandard working conditions for government employees across various sectors, including in our country’s police stations, traffic offices, and prisons,” he said.
Ngwenya added that POPCRU has further urged the Department of Employment and Labour to conduct thorough safety inspections of all public buildings housing essential services while calling 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 within the department.
Ngwenya has also called for a comprehensive investigation into the validity of certificates of occupancy and compliance for the Telkom Towers building, as well as the allocation and expenditure of refurbishment and maintenance budgets since its purchase.
“The state of Telkom Towers points to alarming signs of irregularities. Those responsible must be held to account, and government must implement the necessary changes to prevent the same from happening again.”
Last month, the DPWI indicated that the Telkom Towers will be renovated and upgraded as part of its Build-Operate-Transfer programme.
Hundreds of SAPS members were relocated over a month ago, with many police unions expressing their outrage at the state of the building.
DPWI Deputy Minister, Bernice Swarts, confirmed this, saying: “The construction is going to happen through the Build-Operate-Transfer. So the Telkom Towers is going to be up and running.”