South Africa: R6.8-Million Spent a Month On Empty Police Headquarters in Pretoria
[GroundUp] And SAPS is paying nearly R40-million a month to rent premises in the city centre
In Pretoria, South Africa, the South African Police Service (SAPS) is spending nearly R6.8-million each month to maintain empty police headquarters in the Telkom Towers complex. This cost comes despite the complex being vacant since February 2024 due to health and safety concerns. The Telok Towers complex, purchased in 2016 for nearly R700-million, was originally meant to house the SAPS headquarters but only one of its nine buildings was ever used by the police.
The remaining buildings have been vacant, costing at least R592-million in total. Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson launched an investigation into the purchase in August 2024, and the police minister has stated that the SAPS will withdraw from the complex and seek alternative accommodation. The department estimates that R1.6-billion would be required for refurbishment of the Telok Towers complex, with a public-private partnership being investigated.
However, the move is met with skepticism from some politicians, who argue that the lack of political will is the main issue.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
