GOVT SPENDS OVER E707M ON REHABILITATING BUILDINGS

MBABANE – Government has spent E707.79 million on rehabilitating and maintaining its buildings.

The figure excludes a sum of E44 million which has been spent on wiring its buildings and separating utility meters in institutional houses. These projects are being undertaken by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. Four years ago, there were 930 stock of government pool houses in the four regions. This obviously excludes the office buildings, schools, universities and hospitals, among others. It must be said that the rehabilitation of buildings began about 15 years ago. There are some officials within government who understand that the project is never-ending, as there are still many dilapidated houses and offices across the country.

Costly exercise

The government source said: “This is a costly exercise, never-ending but very important.”   It has been established that the estimated total project cost for the rehabilitation of government building currently stands at E738 529 000. In the 2012 financial year, the estimated total cost for this project stood at E544 490 000. For the past 12 years, the estimated total project cost has increased by E194 039 000. This effectively means it has been increasing by E16 million on an annual basis. Sources said prices for building materials were escalating on a regular basis, hence the increase of the costs for rehabilitating and maintaining government buildings and pool houses.  In 2012, government had spent E379.54 million on rehabilitation of its buildings.

Buildings that have been rehabilitated include, but not limited to the following:

• Hlatikhulu Government Hospital.
• Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs
• Pigg’s Peak Magistrates Court
• Income Tax.
• Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy;
• High Court and Industrial Court
• National Archives
• Deeds/Audit building
• National libraries and national courts.
• EBIS building
• Bhalekane Correctional Facility

It has been learnt that the ministry, at some point, was given a sum of E64 million to complete Phase VI Programme of the rehabilitation of Hlatikhulu Government Hospital and buildings for the ministries of Health,  Justice and Constitutional Affairs and that of Home Affairs. This budget was approved for the financial year 2012. However, more money is still needed at the Ministry of Home Affairs as work is reportedly incomplete.  Staff at the High Court is not happy with the reports that some money was set aside for the rehabilitation programme as the structure still needs a major facelift.

They do not understand why the Industrial Court building exposes staff and judges to inclement weather yet money for rehabilitating this structure began to enter financial records for 2012. The Industrial Court has moved to Madlenya House, Gwamile Street, in Mbabane. The Audit Department has just returned to its permanent building near the Ministry of Education and Training. It has all along been a tenant at Dlan’ubeka Building in Mbabane. This building is owned by the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF).

Twelve years ago, it was mentioned that E48.9 million had been approved to rehabilitate the Audit/Deed Building and National Archives. Massive improvements were observed at some national courts. For instance, a new national court was built in Mbabane after demolishing the dilapidated one.Of major concern though is the health hazard being posed by the main government building, which used to house the offices of the Manzini Regional Administrator, national courts, among others.

Dilapidated

The building is so dilapidated that it is scary even to get inside. Those who live in Manzini say it is now a place for homeless people and could, in future, harbour criminals or wanted suspects. It is located opposite the Somhlolo Park, formerly Jubilee Park. In 2019, the late former Minister of Public Service, Christian Ntshangase, tabled an audit report on public property, which revealed that government was unable to maintain its houses and offices because of financial challenges.

Read the audit report that was tabled in Parliament by Ntshangase: “It is also important to note that due to the current financial challenges faced by government, it has increasingly become difficult to maintain government structures, including houses for accommodation and offices.” The Ministry of Public Service is only responsible for allocation of houses to civil servants, while the Buildings Department of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport was established to design, construct and maintain government buildings.

It is understood that the objectives of the Building Department (BD) is to construct government buildings in an efficient and cost-effective manner. It has to maintain and enhance the value of government buildings, ensure provision of accommodation to employees in an efficient and cost-effective manner. This is not to say it allocates the houses to the public servants as this is the prerogative of the Ministry of Public Service as earlier pointed out.  Therefore, the BD is responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of all government institutional and residential buildings.

It also serves as an implementation agency for all government ministries and departments’ capital programmes. It has its own design office which carries the designs or commissions private consultants to do so if necessary.  The BD states that the decision to implement the designs in-house or letting it out depends on the nature of the project and the department’s workload at the time.  Pertaining to construction and rehabilitation, it lets out work on contract to private firms. However, with regard to maintenance, the department makes use of its maintenance units.

It has been established that it is made up of seven divisions, which are Architectural, Structural and Civil, Quantity Surveying, contracts, Construction, Maintenance and Electrical. It has five depots, which are in Mbabane, Manzini, Pigg’s Peak, Nhlangano and Siteki. There is also an Electrical depot in Mbabane and a sub depot in Mankayane. Meanwhile, in the current financial year, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport needs E10 million for the completion of the Ministry of Home Affairs building. This money would also be used to maintain government buildings and pool houses.

Incurred costs

For wiring government buildings, the ministry has incurred costs amounting to E24 526 000, while a sum of E19 621 000 was used for separation of electricity and water meters in the institutional houses. Financial records indicate that government needs E5 million in the current financial year to continue with the separation of electricity and water meters in the institutional houses. Throughout the week, Thulani Mkhaliphi, the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, had not responded to the questionnaire texted to his phone. It was discovered on Friday when the ministry appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that he was out of the country.

Minister of Public Works Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe had also not responded to the questionnaire, which was sent yesterday when it became apparent that the PS may not be in a position to respond. The last attempt was to get hold of Sandziso Malinga, the Ministry’s Communications Officer, who had promised to go through the questionnaire and revert to the News Desk. He was reminded at 9pm that the report was about to be sent to the printers. Malinga had not responded by then. Mayibongwe Masangane, the Secretary General of the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union, reacting to the separation of utility meters, said nurses in institutional houses did not have a problem with meters.

He said they were individually responsible for their own meters. Masangane assumed that the separation of electricity and water meters could mean that government has all along been responsible for the bills, but now wanted its employees to take responsibility. “I’m not sure what they mean, but we are not sharing the meter in the institutional houses as nurses. We have our own meters,” he said. The Times SUNDAY visited the institutional houses for police officers. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said she would liaise with the project department under the Royal Eswatini Police Service to find out exactly what it meant to separate meters.
This was after she had been advised that some officers said they were sharing meters.

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