Pretoria - Next month, it will be 13 years since a big portion of the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court was gutted during a fire, yet despite promises to revamp this heritage site, nothing has been done.
AfriForum has submitted an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, as well as to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, to try and establish what plans there are regarding the restoration.
Part of the court was left in ruins in October 2010 after a fire broke out in part of this historic building.
AfriForum is now demanding full information regarding the devastating fire and the respective departments’ involvement in the restoration of this building.
Despite the fact that a tender for the repair of the court has already been awarded and repair work in terms of the tender agreement was set to start in February 2015 already, no repair or renovation work has yet been done.
According to Charné Mostert, campaign officer at AfriForum, the procedures in the awarding of the tender have been followed, but the fact that the completion of repair work has been delayed for so many years is cause for serious concern.
Mostert maintained that the constant delays in repairing the court indicated that more than a decade of further decay of the building, years of theft, vandalism and neglect will also now have to be repaired.
Meanwhile, essential plumbing and electrical systems are by now potentially non-functional. “The government’s prolonged inability to properly address this matter is unacceptable. Therefore, it is imperative to expose the underlying factors contributing to these delays,” Mostert said.
AfriForum demands all correspondence from both departments, including memorandums, emails, and other communications regarding the progress of the renovation and any issues affecting it.
The lobby group is also asking for Impact assessments on how the delays have affected the court’s functionality, feasibility plans and their execution.
It is also asking for information relating to any complaints or legal actions about the delays, details of all tender processes, project plans and schedules (including changes made over the years).
AfriForum further wants financial records, such as budget allocations, expenditures and audits, post-fire building inspections or assessments, and communication records with contractors and subcontractors involved in the renovation project.
Mostert said this comprehensive request aims to shed light on the long-standing issues surrounding the court’s renovation and restoration.
The fire, believed to have been caused by an electrical fault in one of the ceilings, left the upper floor of the building completely gutted.
According to reports, at the time, the blaze broke out shortly before 2pm and caused the roof to cave in.
The adjacent court building, currently being used as the main magistrate’s court, was unaffected.
Restoration plans to bring the building to its former glory were necessitated. The plan included internal services reticulation, roof structure, IT and audiovisual installation features.
However, the restoration has stalled, with the building still empty and its windows completely removed.
Pretoria News asked for comment from the office of the justice minister regarding the plans to refurbish, but no response has yet been received.
Pretoria News