Gauteng's office woes

RENTALS: HIGH COSTS LINKED TO ASSETS' LACK OF MAINTENANCE

- Jarryd Westerdale

Failure to maintain its assets is costing the Gauteng provincial government millions of rands in unnecessary expenditure.

Due to the buildings it owns not being fit for purpose, R34 million per month is spent on providing officials with a space to work from.

While provincial leaders say it is a temporary measure, expenditure over the past five years shows a massive waste of funds, while 41 government-owned buildings stand empty.

Gauteng MEC for infrastructure development Jacob Mamabolo revealed the figures in a written response to a question in the Gauteng provincial legislature.

He said there were at least 41 government offices in the province standing empty because they did not meet occupational health and safety standards.

Paid for through the national department of infrastructure development (DID), R2.2 billion was spent in the past five financial years on offices for Gauteng departments.