Question NW3969 to the Minister of Social Development
07 December 2023 - NW3969
Singh, Mr N to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)With reference to the recent reports that the local office of the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) in Chatsworth in KwaZuluNatal has been declared unsafe for occupation and will be closed until further notice, (a) how did the situation (i) leading to the closure unfold and (ii) reach a point where closure was deemed necessary and (b) what (i) form of inspection and/or maintenance was conducted to ensure the safety of the specified premises and (ii) oversight mechanisms were in place; (2) what (a) immediate measures are being (i) implemented to reopen the specified facilities, (ii) taken to address the safety concerns and (iii) introduced to facilitate the speedy reopening of the facilities and (b) is the timeline for the reopening of the facilities; (3) in light of the unfortunate incident, what preventative measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of other SASSA local offices in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality region?
Reply:
1(a)
(i0 SASSA KZN Region has been the occupant of the Chatsworth building since April 2006 in a shared services arrangement with the Department of Social Development (DSD), with DSD being the primary contract holder with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. After the departure of DSD from the premises, SASSA started experiencing glitches with the building maintenance as KZN Provincial Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (PDPWI) stopped maintaining the building on the basis that their tenant (DSD) had vacated the facility.
When it became apparent that PDWI would not provide maintenance services, SASSA attempted to address the issues they were experiencing by requesting for quotations to possibly manage the challenges but found the costs were prohibitive.
The next option was to approach National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (NDPWI) to take over the responsibility of the building. When an assessment was done on the state of the building by both NDWI and the Depart of Labour they both declared the building unfit for occupation as it had deteriorated to a point that it did not meet occupational and health standards.
(ii) Both NDWI and the Department of Labour declared the building unfit and unsafe for occupation after Occupational Health Safety (OHS) inspections were conducted leading to the declaration and the office being vacated.
(b)
(i) To ensure the safety of the specified premises, quarterly committee meetings between SASSA OHS and Durban District are held since 2017
(ii) As part of the oversight, a cost was established to correct the maintenance issues raised, but these costs were more than what the Agency could afford. NDWI was approached to take over the premises, however, upon inspection of the building by their OHS inspectors it was found that the building was no longer fit for purpose.
2. (a)
(i) NDPWI has taken over the Chatsworth building, and according to NDPWI the building has been prioritised for rehabilitation in its 2023/2024 financial year with their professional teams working on this project.
(ii) It is expected the rehabilitation of the building in the care of NDPWI will comply with OHS occupational requirements, norms and standards, and other property legislation applicable.
(iii) According to NDPWI, they have prioritised funding for the rehabilitation of the building in its 2023/2024 financial year budget with their professional teams working on this project.
b. According to NDPWI, rehabilitating the property will commence in January 2024. We recommend the MP engages NPDWI directly on the rehabilitation project plan and timeframe to re-open the building.
3. To ensure the safety of other SASSA local offices in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality region, SASSA has taken the following preventative measures;
- The more recent lease agreements entered into by SASSA directly with the Metropolitan Municipality include maintenance.
- There are existing offices wherein SASSA has shared services costs with DSD KZN, with these SASSA is in the process of finalising a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on shared office service costs that includes maintenance, payment of utilities and other running costs related to each facility where such an arrangement exists.
- All NDPWI contracts have been standardised to include a maintenance plan for the duration of a lease period. The NDPWI has since appointed an official from SASSA to form part of the Bids Specification and Evaluation Committees to represent SASSA’s interests to ensure that buildings selected meet the safety requirements.