Yet another provincial government building has been found to be in a deplorable state, placing the lives of hundreds of employees at risk.
Staff at the Department of Health offices in Jabu Ndlovu Street, Pietermaritzburg, were forced to work from home since last week after the Department of Labour condemned the building.
The building has reportedly been in a bad condition for years, with a leaking roof and lack of ventilation.
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Labour officers conducted an inspection of the offices that housed some adminstrative staff, including supply chain management, earlier this month following complaints.
About 100 employees were told to work from home, while nine have been relocated to Town Hill Hospital.
In the inspection report from the Department of Labour, which The Witness has seen, it stated that the use of the building’s office blocks A, B and D are prohibited until all roof leaks are repaired, all mould is cleaned and ventilation is adequate so that the air breathed by employees does not endanger their health.
It further stated that first aid boxes must be provided, which must be available and accessible for treatment of injured persons, as well as ensuring that at least one person is readily available to assist during normal working hours, where more than 10 employees are employed.
One of the employees who spoke to The Witness on condition of anonymity said that since they moved into that building in 2018 there were always problems. He said the building had no ventilation and it started leaking.
The air-conditioners were not working. We had hoped that things would change, but it got worse. The roof started leaking and the water was damaging the files and [causing] mould. They put a [shade] sail on the roof to prevent it from leaking, but it made things worse because it became too hot. They then got us fans.
“That building was not a good place from the beginning. They must just find another one for us because it is bad. We didn’t even have storage and sometimes the toilets were not even working,” he said.
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Nehawu regional secretary Mazwi Ngubane said the results of the inspection prove what they had been saying to the department all along — that the building is not conducive to be occupied by employees.
He said they are satisfied that the building has been condemned and they will make sure that no employees return to it until the problems pointed out have been remedied.
“How can you allow employees to work under such conditions? The roof is leaking and staff have to place buckets everywhere to prevent the rain from flooding the workspace. We lost so many employees during Covid-19 and we are not willing to lose more employees due to their working environment.”
This shows that the department does not care about its employees, they just want the work done. However, we are not going allow employees to work when their lives are put in danger.
Ngubane said there are about 120 employees who were operating from the condemned blocks of the building.
He said only nine employees have been deployed to work from Town Hill Hospital, while the rest are at home.
We are going to go after all the buildings that are not in a good state, including Natalia Building. Employees must work in conducive [environments].
The Witness has previously reported on the concerning state of government buildings, with two articles having been written about the filthy and dilapidated state of the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court, the most recent of which was published on March 15 — detailing how an attorney had refused to appear in the court due to its deplorable state, leaking roof, flooded corridors and even rats in the building.
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Labour spokesperson Nhlanhla Khumalo said they are aware of the incident.
He said their department conducted an inspection and issued a prohibition notice on certain blocks of the building.
This inspection was conducted after a complaint was brought to our Pietermaritzburg office. The prohibition notice will not be revoked until the building is safe to occupy.
Spokesperson for the KZN Department of Health Ntokozo Maphisa said: “The department is aware of the temporary closure of the building due to challenges with its roof tiles, which has affected three out of its six blocks.
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“The matter has been referred to the Department of Public Works, which is currently deliberating on it. To mitigate the impact of this temporary closure and ensure continuity, the affected staff have been relocated to Natalia building and Town Hill Hospital office block, from where they continue to discharge their duties until the process to repair the roof has been completed.
“The department notes and appreciates the ongoing co-operation of staff until the matter has been resolved.”
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