Africa-Press – South-Africa. The old Ulundi legislature building in northern KwaZulu-Natal is set for comprehensive refurbishment by the department of public works and infrastructure before being transferred to the provincial co-operative government department (Cogta) to serve as the house of traditional leaders.
This is part of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by public works MEC Martin Meyer and his Cogta counterpart Thulasizwe Buthelezi in Durban on Tuesday.
The MOU seeks to ensure optimum use of state properties, including addressing the issue of abandoned, unused and hijacked buildings.
“These assets have long fallen between the cracks and become a burden to communities and a costly weight for the department. Since the decision to tackle these assets was taken we have started processes to constructively dispose of them in a manner that benefits the communities in which they are located,” said Meyer. “This has also seen us reaching out to municipalities and various departments to see how we can jointly leverage these assets for the wider benefit.”
The old legislature is one of those properties. The building now houses staff from various departments including Sassa and home affairs.
Staff from other departments were relocated when the building suffered damage in recent storms and was partly closed.
Meyer noted years of neglect had taken their toll on the building even before the storms caused further damage, resulting in disrepair and rising maintenance costs.
“I can confirm today [Tuesday] that KZN public works and infrastructure is ready to begin repairs to the damaged section of the building,” he said.
“Regarding the future of the building, KZN Cogta has approached us to express interest in taking over the building. Therefore, we will be transferring ownership of the old Ulundi legislature building to them to use for the house of traditional leaders.”
The MOU covers the transfer of an additional 80 units, also in Ulundi, to Cogta which will be used for rentals.
“With the assets now under the care of Cogta, another stipulation of the agreement is for Cogta to be liable for all costs relating to the upkeep and maintenance of the occupied spaces,” Meyer added.
“Municipal levies will be paid by the occupants and Cogta will collect and receive rental on the properties.”
Buthelezi welcomed the upcoming handover, expressing pride in the department’s efforts to optimise state assets, cut costly private leases and channel savings into meaningful services.
“I am pleased to announce that our department will be cancelling a major lease in Pietermaritzburg, saving us R72m over the next three years,” he said. “These funds will be redirected towards the refurbishment of buildings, including the Chamber in uLundi (the seat of the KZN Provincial House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders), and will also support our Amakhosi through the provision of pensions and medical aid — an intervention the department has made to bring stability and security, allowing them to better plan for themselves and their families.”
Meyer said the MOU followed an extensive audit of all public works assets in the province.
About 95% of the audit was completed and of the 10,067 verified department assets, 8,110 are fully used while 681 remained unused and 201 are underutilised.
The audit found that 8,024 of the department’s assets are occupied, with 320 occupied illegally and 578 vacant.
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