Johan Böning, head of Solidarity's OHS division, said several complaints have been received from police members, including serious allegations such as a shortage of clean drinking water, broken air conditioning and poor ventilation, broken and dirty toilets, closed and unmarked emergency exits, broken lifts, inadequate firefighting equipment and “generally dirty and contaminated” office spaces.
“Among these complaints were claims of respiratory illnesses and allergic reactions, presumably due to dirty office space and poor ventilation, and workers also complained of dirty carpets and problems with lice and cockroaches,” Solidarity said.
Solidarity network co-ordinator of public industry Renate Pieterse said the head office is home to the SAPS legal and corporate management departments among others.
“The minister of police Bheki Cele and national police commissioner are also supposed to sit there. The upper floor, where minister Cele’s designated office is, has been newly renovated and secured with good technological security devices. This while the rest of the 24 floors are considered unlivable,” she said.
IN PICS | SAPS head office evacuated after being declared ‘unfit for human use’
Image: Alaister Russell/Sunday Times
The South African Police Service says it is making arrangements for “alternative premises” to house staff who had to be evacuated from its national head office in Pretoria after the building was “declared unfit for human use”.
The former Telkom Towers building was evacuated after an inspection by Solidarity’s occupational health and safety (OHS) division and an inspector from the department of labour.
The inspection resulted in an immediate notice of improvement.
According to Solidarity, it also emerged during the inspection that the building doesn't have the necessary certificates of occupancy or approval from the fire brigade.
“The SAPS head office may only reopen its doors after the certificate has been issued and an inspection by the fire brigade has been carried out,” Solidarity said in a statement.
The organisation said the visit came after numerous complaints and “several unanswered letters” from the OHS to the police and divisional commissioner for legal services Lt-Gen Simo Chamane.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Johan Böning, head of Solidarity's OHS division, said several complaints have been received from police members, including serious allegations such as a shortage of clean drinking water, broken air conditioning and poor ventilation, broken and dirty toilets, closed and unmarked emergency exits, broken lifts, inadequate firefighting equipment and “generally dirty and contaminated” office spaces.
“Among these complaints were claims of respiratory illnesses and allergic reactions, presumably due to dirty office space and poor ventilation, and workers also complained of dirty carpets and problems with lice and cockroaches,” Solidarity said.
Solidarity network co-ordinator of public industry Renate Pieterse said the head office is home to the SAPS legal and corporate management departments among others.
“The minister of police Bheki Cele and national police commissioner are also supposed to sit there. The upper floor, where minister Cele’s designated office is, has been newly renovated and secured with good technological security devices. This while the rest of the 24 floors are considered unlivable,” she said.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe confirmed the evacuation from the building, saying the “wellbeing and safety of employees” was a primary concern.
“It is on this basis that the national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has instructed all personnel accommodated at the building to vacate the premises.
“This follows a prohibition notice that has been issued by the inspector of buildings from the department relating to identified deficiencies at this building.”
Mathe confirmed the building accommodated members “attached to support divisions and components whose mandate is to provide administrative support to operational divisions”.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
“Arrangements are being made for these functions to be performed from alternative premises. Core policing has not been affected by this temporary closure,” she said.
She said police would continue to engage with the department of public works and infrastructure, which is responsible for the repair and maintenance of the building.
The Telkom Towers building was purchased in 2015 for R645m, according to the department of public works. TimesLIVE in 2019 reported that five years after buying the building, the police were yet to occupy it , and the cost of maintaining the empty building had ballooned from R650m to R1.6bn.
TimesLIVE
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