SAPS Won’t Return to Telkom Towers Despite Millions Spent

The Telkom Towers were purchased in 2016 for nearly R700-million to serve as the headquarters for the South African Police Service in Pretoria. The complex has been vacant since February 2024.

• The Telkom Towers were purchased in 2016 for nearly R700-million to serve as the headquarters for the South African Police Service in Pretoria.
• The complex was evacuated in February 2024 due to safety concerns and were flagged as a material irregularity by the Auditor-General.
• The Public Works and Infrastructure Department launched an investigation into the purchase of the complex in August last year.
• But the SAPS has said it won’t be moving back to the controversial complex and will be looking for a new HQ.

The controversial police headquarters at the Telkom Towers Complex remains unfit for use about 18 months after it was evacuated due to health and safety concerns.

The Telkom Towers, purchased in 2016 for nearly R700-million to serve as the headquarters for the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Pretoria, were evacuated in February 2024 and have been vacant since.

Dean Macpherson, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, in a written reply to Parliament, told MPs that a forensic report into the mismanagement of the complex is now complete, but that the site “is not yet ready for full use”.

The Minister of Police, in a letter dated 29 October 2024, said SAPS plans to withdraw from the Telkom Towers Complex and pursue “an alternative accommodation strategy”.

Macpherson said the department is working on a proposal to address SAPS’s long-term accommodation needs and potentially replace the current leasing model.

GroundUp reported how the complex was evacuated and flagged as a material irregularity by the Auditor-General. Macpherson then launched an investigation into the purchase of the complex in August last year. In September this year, MPs on the Portfolio Committee on Public Works criticised the slow progress of the investigation.

According to Macpherson, SAPS currently operates from 22 leased properties in Pretoria’s city centre, covering approximately 144,672m² of office space and 2,186 parking bays. “These leases cost the state about R444-million annually,” he said in a written response to a question from Bonginkosi Madikizela (DA).

“To reduce this financial burden, the Telkom Towers Complex, measuring around 99,277m² with 2,214 parking bays, was purchased for R694-million (VAT included), with SAPS contributing over R543-million toward the cost. The intention was to consolidate SAPS operations at this site,” he said.

One of the nine buildings in the complex, Macpherson said, had been refurbished in October 2022 by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) on behalf of the department. A certificate of occupancy was issued at the time, and SAPS began partial occupation. But in February 2024, the Department of Employment and Labour issued prohibition and contravention notices relating to safety and compliance concerns.

According to Macpherson, the department appointed a contractor for 36 months. “Since then, significant progress has been made in resolving the outstanding issues, including improving lighting, ventilation, fire safety equipment, and internal housekeeping matters,” he said.

“The department is also engaging with the City of Tshwane to obtain a new certificate of occupancy, as the initial one was withdrawn following the safety findings. Additional work requested by the City, including the installation of fire doors, fire seals, and a fireman’s lift, is underway and expected to be completed (this month),” he added.

The findings of the forensic report will be announced once Macpherson has reviewed them.

SAPS national spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, confirmed that SAPS is looking for an alternative HQ due to the “ten-year delay” at Telkom Towers. She said talks between Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and Macpherson are expected to happen soon “to determine the way forward”.

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