Department to occupy temporary premises in the meantime
THE NORTHERN Cape Department of Sport, Arts and Culture will be constructing new offices after their lease at 22 Abattoir Road in Ashburnham expired earlier this year.
The lease was one of the multimillion-rand deals that were concluded with the Trifecta group of companies for the rental of office space for government departments in the Northern Cape.
The buildings have since been transferred ownership to Delta Property Fund, which is based in Johannesburg.
Former ANC provincial chairperson John Block and the CEO of Trifecta Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Christo Scholtz, were sentenced after being found guilty of corruption and money laundering, where kickbacks were received in exchange for facilitating the leases.
The spokesperson for the Northern Cape Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Morapedi Sekhoane, said on Thursday that they would occupy temporary premises in the meantime.
He stated that the lease for the building in Abattoir Road expired in February. “We handed the building back to the owner.”
Sekhoane added that all the offices that were occupied by their department were owned by government. “Staff are occupying libraries in the districts.”
He indicated that their administrative offices, including the office of the head of department, corporate services, strategic management, registry, human resources, supply chain management and finance, are now located at the Mervin Erlank Sports Precinct in Pescodia.
He said the department relocated its library services, sports and recreation directorates as well as the Frances Baard district office to Permanent Building in the central business district in Kimberley.
“Staff will occupy the Perm building for the next two years while we construct a new building at the Mervin Erlank Sports Precinct, starting in the new financial year. Once construction is complete, it will house the library depot as well as the sports and recreation units.”
Sekhoane added that the MEC for Education had agreed to allow Frances Baard district staff to make use of unoccupied rooms at Masiza Primary School. “The building will be renovated into offices.”
He stated that the cultural affairs directorate had been moved to the Mayibuye Multi-purpose Centre in Galeshewe.
“The heritage unit, under the cultural affairs directorate, has been relocated to McGregor Museum in Atlas Street in Herlear.”
