Mchunu placed the blame on the landlord.
“The department’s system suspended the rentals due to an instruction issued by the minister to stop rentals on all lease agreements that have expired and are running on a month-to-month basis,” said Mchunu.
“This was done after the landlords that had month-to-month leases were informed that they have to regularise these leases and sign new agreements with the department. Most landlords have complied with the instruction while others are still resisting as they charge higher rentals on month-to-month agreements,” Mchunu added.
The Salu building houses the Department of Justice consisting of the Master of the High Court and the State Attorney offices.
While the poster placed at the entrance of the buildings claimed the State Attorney’s office would be closed until further notice, Mchunu said the building was never closed.
“But the electricity was cut off due to the outstanding building rates which is the responsibility of the landlord, not the state,” he said.
In the interim, employees of the Department of Justice continued to have access to the building despite having no power.
This meant services provided by the office had been hampered.
Mchunu did not give any indication when the issue would be resolved.
The building is the latest housing a government department to be affected by unpaid rentals.
Earlier this month, the building housing the police’s criminal records centre was locked after the landlord cited unpaid rent which was also the responsibility of the department of public works.
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We owe R28m in rent for Pretoria State Attorney offices but it’s not our fault, says department of public works
Image: Supplied
After an image of a notice was circulated earlier this week stating the State Attorney offices in Pretoria would be closed to the public due to unpaid rent, the department of public works has confirmed it owes the landlord millions, but says it is not at fault.
In a statement, public works spokesperson Thami Mchunu said: “The arrear rental amount that is outstanding is R28m for three months (January, February and March 2022) and is owed by department of public works and infrastructure (DPWI) to the landlord.”
Mchunu placed the blame on the landlord.
“The department’s system suspended the rentals due to an instruction issued by the minister to stop rentals on all lease agreements that have expired and are running on a month-to-month basis,” said Mchunu.
“This was done after the landlords that had month-to-month leases were informed that they have to regularise these leases and sign new agreements with the department. Most landlords have complied with the instruction while others are still resisting as they charge higher rentals on month-to-month agreements,” Mchunu added.
The Salu building houses the Department of Justice consisting of the Master of the High Court and the State Attorney offices.
While the poster placed at the entrance of the buildings claimed the State Attorney’s office would be closed until further notice, Mchunu said the building was never closed.
“But the electricity was cut off due to the outstanding building rates which is the responsibility of the landlord, not the state,” he said.
In the interim, employees of the Department of Justice continued to have access to the building despite having no power.
This meant services provided by the office had been hampered.
Mchunu did not give any indication when the issue would be resolved.
The building is the latest housing a government department to be affected by unpaid rentals.
Earlier this month, the building housing the police’s criminal records centre was locked after the landlord cited unpaid rent which was also the responsibility of the department of public works.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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