While a multi-million-rand municipal office building remains unfinished, staff at the Malamulele Home Affairs office are working in unsafe conditions in a dilapidated building. They were meant to be accommodated in the new municipal building, but six years after the site was handed over to the contractor, it is still incomplete.
The Collins Chabane Municipality has already spent R144 million on the project, against a budget of R187 million. The site was handed over on 10 October 2019, and the project was expected to be completed by 10 October 2024.
Municipal spokesperson Robert Mathye said the scope of work includes the construction of a multi-storey municipal office building. It comprises a ground floor and three upper floors, three lifts, and 110 offices. He said the superstructure and main building were complete, and that the contractor was busy with office partitioning, tiling, ceilings, electrification and plumbing. However, several aspects of the project remain outstanding, including landscaping, finishes, decoration, air conditioning, furniture, IT storage and equipment for the building.
Mathye did not provide a new completion date. He said the delays were caused by several factors, including limited internal funding, which he said remained a challenge as the municipality had to prioritise service delivery.
He added that the Covid-19 period delayed the project by about two years. Mathye said litigation between the main contractor and Sub Bay Construction, following the termination of services, had also affected progress. A signboard on site states that the tender was awarded to Mpfumelelo MM Industries JV.
However, according to Mathye, Sub Bay Construction started the project as the main subcontractor. He said the termination of the contract had negatively affected progress. Asked to name the appointed main contractor, Mathye declined. “We are not going to mention him, since you have said you interviewed him it means you know him,” he said.
The project was listed in the municipality’s 2019/20 Integrated Development Plan summary as a R140 million project, funded from its own resources. The approved budget has since increased to about R187 million.
The delay has also renewed focus on conditions at the Malamulele Home Affairs office, which was meant to be accommodated in the unfinished building.
Lawrence Muvhango, spokesperson for the Public Servants Association (PSA) in Limpopo, said union members had on two occasions reported non-compliance with occupational health and safety requirements at the Malamulele Home Affairs office to the Department of Employment and Labour. According to Muvhango, contravention notices were issued on both occasions.
“It is very disturbing to notice that even after such notices, the department has done nothing to improve the working environment,” said Muvhango. He said the PSA would soon visit the office again with inspectors from the Department of Employment and Labour.
If conditions had not improved, the union would recommend that the department issue a prohibition notice against Home Affairs, he said. “PSA can no longer tolerate the arrogance of the employer at the expense of members’ wellbeing and safety,” said Muvhango.
Department of Employment and Labour spokesperson Teboho Thejane confirmed that inspectors had conducted a follow-up inspection after initial contravention notices were issued. He said the employer had asked for more time to comply, citing financial constraints that affected the implementation of some corrective measures.
“The employer managed to comply with most of the contraventions identified during the initial inspection,” said Thejane. Two issues remained outstanding at the time: a risk assessment and a certificate of compliance for the electrical installation. Thejane said another inspection was conducted on 2 March this year to verify progress.
“The latest inspection found that most of the previously identified contraventions had been addressed. The only outstanding requirement is the certificate of compliance for the electrical installation,” said Thejane.
Thejane said that if the employer failed to comply within the committed timeframe, the Department of Employment and Labour would proceed with enforcement measures, which could include referring the matter for prosecution.
This newspaper sent questions to Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Thabo Mokgola on 27 February, asking what steps the department had taken in response to the contravention notices and what corrective measures had been implemented at the Malamulele office. Despite follow-up messages, no response had been received by the time of publication.