The Mpumalanga High Court complex will remain closed until at least Monday, November 11
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has until Saturday, November 9 to submit a plan of action to convince the Department of Labour (DoL), that served a prohibition order to evacuate the court on Wednesday November 6, that some sections of the complex can be reopened.
The prohibition order follows an inspection which was done on November 6 in which it was found that the building is not safe or suitable for staff to work in.
It was also discovered that the DoJ was occupying the building illegally, because an official occupancy certificate was never issued by the City of Mbombela’s Department of Planning.
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It was found that the complex did not comply to regulations of the Health and Safety Act because of issues such as leaking roofs, broken air conditioning and ventilation systems (HVAC), leaking toilets, broken lifts, electrical supply problems and even access for people with disabilities.
On Friday November 8, a contingent of staff from the DOJ, DoL, Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), an independent engineer, the Mbombela municipality, as well as labour unions, spent the entire day scrutinising the whole complex.
Although DoJ agreed that the building was unsafe and had to be evacuated, but their biggest concern was the temporary moving of the courts.
“During the inspection it became clear that the major cause of the problems was that no maintenance has been done since November 2019 when the court officially opened,” Flip van der Walt, acting provincial manager of the Public Servants Association (PSA), said on Friday, November 8.
According to him, an engineer from the DoJ, as well as an independent engineer, submitted reports after the inspection.
“Both these reports agreed that the previous fears of the building might have been structurally compromised were unfounded. They did, however, agree that the buildings have serious health problems that endanger staff and the public.”
Van der Walt said one must have sympathy for the DoJ due to the fact that there is no suitable temporary facility available to house the three judges and their courtrooms in the city.
“A number of offices which were of the greatest health risk were identified and will definitely be closed.”
One of the shocking discoveries during the inspection was the condition of one of the six judges’ chambers.
Parts of the ceiling were missing; the zink roof can be seen, and electric wires were hanging from the ceiling.
For now the prohibition order will have to be adhered to, but a meeting will be held on Sunday, November 10 after the DoJ submitted contingency plans to ensure parts of the complex will be reopened for use.
While the inspection was done, contractors repaired and serviced the HVAC system and all was working at the end of Friday, November 8.
Contractors to repair the failing electrical systems will be on site on Saturday, November 9. An emergency tender was issued for repair work to the plumbing network and this tender will close on Monday, November 11.
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Jacqueline Herbst
www.citizen.co.za
