Question NW2181 to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
09 June 2022 - NW2181
Graham, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
(1)Whether a decision has been taken to sell the building which houses the offices of the Independent Development Trust National Head Office and Gauteng branch in Tshwane; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, for what reason has the decision been taken; (2) whether a tender for the sale of the building has been advertised; if not, why not; if so, has the tender been adjudicated on and (b) what are the details (i) of the sale and/or purchase price and (ii) reflecting the stage at which the process is; (3) whether a new building has been identified to house the staff from the National Head Office and the Gauteng office; if not, what progress has been made in this regard; if so, what is the (a) monthly rental, (b) cost per square metre and (c) date of relocation?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
1. I have been informed by the Department that the Board of Trustees of the IDT resolved to sell the National Head Office building in the Board of Trustees meeting held on 23 February 2022.
- The Board resolved to sell the building as there are latent structural defects and electrical issues with the building that will be costly to fix.
- There are visible cracks at the entrance of the building and the basement also tends be flooded when it rains leading to the columns supporting the building to move.
- The building is therefore not safe to be occupied by employees, and it does not comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
- The building also has high maintenance costs. A cost benefit analysis has been done and the conclusion is that the cost to maintain and refurbish the building outweighs the one of seeking for new leased office accommodation.
2. The sale of the building has not been advertised. This will be determined by the issuance of the Certificate of Compliance.
(b), (i) and (ii) Fall away.
(3) The advertisement for the lease of the new building was issued and the procurement process is in progress.
(a), (b) and (c)
The IDT does not therefore have monthly costs at this stage. The cost per square metre as well as the date for relocation to the new building will be determined once the procurement process is finalised. The cost per square metre should be within the Rode Independent guidelines.