Latest news with #KhathutsheloRasilingwane
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Gauteng government splashes R2.9 million on near-empty office used mainly for photocopies
The Gauteng government owns 41 abandoned buildings and has resorted to leasing them as a 'temporary measure'. The Gauteng provincial government is under fire for not using its building in the Johannesburg CBD. Picture: Gauteng DA The Gauteng provincial government has been accused of using a building it is renting for R2.9 million per month solely for making photocopies. The building is believed to have five floors and is situated on 55 Fox Street in the Johannesburg CBD. DA members of the provincial legislatures in Gauteng, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, told The Citizen that the party had been reliably informed that Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) staff would only use the building when there was a need to use the printer. Oversight inspection reveals empty building 'The DA Gauteng has been reliably informed that these offices are not being fully utilised but only used by GDE employees to make photocopies. 'This is unacceptable because the Gauteng Provincial Government pays R34 104 005,07 monthly for office rentals for various departments,' she said. Rasilingwane, along with other DA officials, went on an oversight inspection on Wednesday to investigate why the building is not being fully utilised. However, the team was stopped by security at reception. Rasilingwane said that when she arrived at the building in question, she was informed that it was not safe to enter. 'They told us that it is not safe to enter the building, but if that is the case, why is the province paying for this building? 'They told us people have been moved to the other building because that building is not meeting Occupational Health and Safety Standards,' she said. It was still not clear if the province is being billed municipal rates for that building. However, Rasilingwane said, upon investigation,n she discovered that the province rents five buildings from the same owner or company, 'This is a blatant waste of government money, and we need an explanation for this. 'I will be posing further questions in the legislature about what we know about these buildings and the exact reason why the education department cannot use a building that is being paid for monthly,' she said. The Citizen contacted the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) to enquire about its office at 55 Fox Street. However, GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona said the provincial Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) is best suited to respond to the questions about the building. 'Hi please interact with DID,' Mabona said. ActionSA laments wasteful expenditure Meanwhile, ActionSA provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni told The Citizen that he was alarmed by the amount of money being spent renting buildings for government departments. He said the provincial government owns 41 buildings which have been abandoned. 'This blatant display of mismanagement and inefficiency is a slap in the face to already overburdened taxpayers. 'This wasteful expenditure is a shocking indictment of government's fiscal mismanagement, poor asset oversight, and a total disregard for the efficient use of the public purse,' he said. Ngobeni said the province claimed that it is renting the buildings as a temporary measure. 'Whilst provincial leaders claim that this is a temporary measure, it is quite disturbing that over R2.2 billion has been wasted on office rentals in the past five financial years, indicating failure to appreciate the urgency of addressing this matter,' he said. Meanwhile, DID had committed to respond to questions from The Citizen with an explanation concerning the GDE building on Fox Street. However, no response had been received by the time of publication. ALSO READ: 'I'm viewing my options,' says Lesufi on availability for ANC's top positions Why is Gauteng renting buildings for staff? However, responding to Legislature questions recently, the MEC responsible, Jacob Mamabolo said the current buildings the province owns did not comply with Occupational Health and Safety Standards. 'The lack of maintenance resulted in deterioration of GPG-owned assets, primarily office buildings, compromising their overall condition and usability. 'As the custodian responsible for providing compliant office buildings to GPG User Departments, DID explored alternative solutions including leasing from third parties to ensure the provision of required office accommodation, thereby fulfilling its mandate,' he said. NOW READ: Gauteng government reveals R2 billion spent on office rentals in five years
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Gauteng government faces criticism over R34 million spent on unused buildings
The DA in Gauteng has decried the state of hired buildings by various provincial departments, which are reportedly spending more than R34 million monthly in leasing privately owned buildings while the province has its own buildings that are not being utilised. Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) is reported to own no less than 41 unused buildings, while many of its departments continue to pay millions in rental fees. This is an assertion made by the DA in the province. According to the document from the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, 12 of these are in the Johannesburg Central Business District (CBD) and the remaining 29 are in the Pretoria CBD. Due to financial constraints, most of these buildings do not meet Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards, making them unfit for use. The Democratic Alliance's (DA) provincial spokesperson for Infrastructure Development, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, and a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, condemned the lack of accountability shown by the Gauteng government over reports that the province is paying over R34 million monthly in building leases instead of refurbishing its own properties to save costs. On Wednesday, Rasilingwane conducted an oversight visit to one of the buildings on Fox Street in the Joburg CBD, where she and her team were denied the right to go ahead with their oversight visit to the building. The building is said to be one of the properties currently being rented by the provincial government, while many of the buildings owned by the province are said to be rotting away unused. The party stated that it has been reliably informed by some of the employees, as well as through its communication channels within the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, following an oral reply to MEC for Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo, who has confirmed that indeed the province is paying millions in rental fees. "We wrote and sent questions to the MEC for Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo, who then responded to say the province has 41 buildings that are practically abandoned. We learned they are renting their head offices, including 11 buildings, one of which prevented our visit. This is a building meant to house the Department of Education. "We have just come out of this building where we have been denied access to conduct our visit when we have been reliably informed by some of the workers that the building is actually not being utilised while the government pays R2.9 million a month," she stated. Attempts to get a comment from the provincial Department of Infrastructure Development were unsuccessful at the time of going to print, with the Department of Education in the province having referred the matter to GDID for comment. The DA said it was unacceptable that the GPG pays R34 104 005,07 monthly for office rentals for various departments while the province has its buildings. "Following our oversight inspection, we will engage directly with the MEC for Infrastructure Development (GDID), Jacob Mamabolo, based on the findings," Rasilingwane further stated. [email protected]
The Citizen
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
DA slams municipalities for ‘double dipping' in waste collection
The DA in Gauteng has raised concerns over municipalities employing external contractors for waste collection services while maintaining their own waste management departments. This practice, called 'double dipping', involves municipalities hiring service providers to collect waste while simultaneously operating internal departments with substantial staff and equipment dedicated to the same task. Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, the DA spokesperson for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), highlighted this issue during a session in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. She pointed out that many municipalities continue to outsource waste collection despite having operational fleets and personnel capable of performing these duties. Rasilingwane emphasised the financial implications of this approach, suggesting that municipalities should prioritise repairing and using their existing resources to enhance service delivery and reduce unnecessary expenditures. She argued that residents are already paying for a service through existing rates, yet the service is either not rendered effectively or is completely absent. She told Rekord that Tshwane's proposed new City Cleansing Levy, set to take effect on July 1, pending approval of the draft budget for 2025/2026, is an example of the results of mismanagement through double dipping. 'We believe that introducing an additional levy like the proposed R185 City Cleansing Levy amounts to punishing the residents for the metro's own failures in governance and operational management.' The levy would impose a monthly fee of R185 on households and R194.37 on vacant properties exceeding 150 000 m² that do not use the city's waste collection services. The municipality aims to generate about R540-million in additional revenue through this initiative. Critics argue that the levy constitutes double taxation, as property owners already pay private waste collectors. AfriForum contends that the fixed fee violates Section 74(2) of the Municipal Systems Act, which mandates that municipal service charges be proportional to actual service usage. She firmly believes that better management and a transparent audit of current waste services would reveal opportunities to cut wasteful expenditure rather than a further increase that will put more unnecessary pressure on the residents. In response to her questions on waste removal in municipalities in Gauteng, MEC Jacob Mamabolo provided insights into the practices of various municipalities. He noted that Tshwane, for instance, contracts external service providers for waste collection under lease agreements. These contracts stipulate that service providers supply and maintain their fleet, with provisions to address any missed collections within 24 hours. The metro, however, also has a Waste Management Division that handles waste collection, along with other related tasks. This division is part of the broader Environment and Agriculture Management Department and is responsible for providing efficient waste management services. To Rasilingwane, this constitutes the metro doing costly double dipping. Mamabolo assured the Legislature that, according to the metro's management, there are currently no waste collection backlogs in Pretoria. Furthermore, the MEC addressed concerns regarding landfill site rehabilitation. He confirmed that Tshwane has six closed landfill sites, two of which have been fully rehabilitated and have been issued closure permits. The remaining sites are undergoing rehabilitation processes, with final closure plans in progress. The remaining four, Temba, Onderstepoort, Kawasan and Garstkloof landfill sites, are undergoing rehabilitation and are awaiting finalisation of closure plans. Mamabolo also said the metros management has indicated that it does not have old dumpsites (communal sites where waste was disposed of illegally) requiring rehabilitation, except for the ongoing clearance of random illegal dumping sites. The metro said the landfill at Ga-Rankuwa has a life span of two to three years, and there will be a height extension and development on unturned land. The Soshanguve landfill also has the same lifespan and will be addressed in the same way as Ga-Runkuwa. The landfill in Pretoria east at Bronkhorspruit only has a lifespan of one year, and plans are afoot to procure an adjacent site for extension. The Hatherley site in Nellmapius has a lifespan of 10 to 15 years, and interventions are being made to reduce incoming waste volumes. While these measures of the metro and other Gauteng municipalities indicate a structured approach to waste management, Rasilingwane remained critical of the dual approach of double dipping in waste collection. She advocates for a more efficient use of municipal resources to ensure cost-effective and sustainable service delivery to residents. ALSO READ: Sunnyside streets affected by planned march today Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
