Unsafe DEDEAT Buildings Put Staff at Risk

Statement by Dr Vicky Knoetze MPL – Shadow MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism:

Staff in the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) are being forced to work in buildings that do not meet basic health and safety standards, with some offices now deemed unsafe and unfit for occupation.

These failures directly affect the safety, dignity, and well-being of public servants who are expected to deliver services to the people of the Eastern Cape while working in environments marked by fire safety failures, structural damage, security risks, poor accessibility, and inadequate emergency systems.

In response to a parliamentary question from the Democratic Alliance (DA), DEDEAT MEC, Nonkqubela Pieters, revealed a serious breakdown in basic building safety and compliance across the department.

Seven buildings were found to be non-compliant with occupational health and safety legislation, with the O.R. Tambo District Office deemed unsafe for occupation and the Alfred Nzo District Office deemed uninhabitable. Both offices have been evacuated, with staff working remotely.

The reply further confirms unresolved structural defects, security breaches, water supply failures, inaccessible buildings, and the inability to conduct fire drills at some sites due to the buildings’ condition.

The response also shows that this is not a minor administrative lapse, but an ongoing failure of governance. Only one office conducted a fire drill in Q2 2025; multiple buildings have non-functional fire detectors, lifts in some buildings are either broken or long overdue for inspection, and DEDEAT records repeated failures by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to act despite formal escalation.

The MEC states that DPWI’s response was fundamentally inadequate, confirms that the Office of the Premier is involved, and admits that no comprehensive remedial framework has yet been agreed.

The DA believes that the government has a basic duty to provide safe working conditions for its employees. When that duty is ignored, it puts lives at risk, disrupts service delivery, and reveals a broader collapse in accountability between departments meant to work together.

I will write to the Chairperson of the DEDEAT Portfolio Committee to request urgent oversight of the affected buildings and a full account of all non-compliant facilities, including clear timelines for repairs or relocation and accountability for the continued failure to resolve these risks. Public servants cannot be expected to work in buildings the government itself has deemed unsafe, nor should taxpayers be footing the bill for unused offices.

Government has a legal obligation to ensure safe and compliant working environments, yet the conditions revealed in this response raise serious concerns about its capacity to uphold those standards.

The people of the Eastern Cape deserve leadership that protects workers, respects dignity, and ensures that public institutions are safe, functional, and fit for purpose.