Parliament, Thursday, 29 September 2022 – The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure will this weekend conduct an oversight visit to the Telkom Towers building in Pretoria.
The oversight visit to the Telkom Towers emerges from the numerous meetings held with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. Despite the South African Police Services (SAPS) having bought the Telkom Towers offices in 2016 for R695 million and spending almost R200 million on renovations and other services, they have still not moved in and most head office staff continue to work from the old SAPS head office in the Koedoe building on Pretorius Street.
During its oversight visit in 2019, the committee was assured that the SAPS would move into the offices in the following six months after renovations were done. The 2021 report from the Auditor-General showed that the government had spent millions on refurbishments at various facilities that have dragged on for years. This includes the old Telkom Towers. According to the report, additional costs were incurred at the facility at the police’s request, including R152 million paid to “consultants”, R10 million for security and R15 million for facilities management.
The committee is mandated to conduct oversight over the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and the Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE). The committee needs to oversee the work that the DPWI/PMTE has done in refurbishments of the Telkom Towers so that it can establish reasons for the delays in handing over the building to SAPS.
The programme of the oversight visit is as follows:
Day 1: Friday, 30 September 2022: Briefing by DPWI and SAPS
Time: 12:30
Venue: DPWI, 256 Madiba Street, Tshwane, Gauteng
Day 2: Saturday, 1 October 2022: Site Visit
Time: 10:00
Venue: Telkom Towers 152 Thomas Ramokhoase Street, Tshwane, Gauteng
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Faith Ndenze
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8438
Cell: 081 377 0686
E-mail: fndenze@parliament.gov.za
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