No R170 million clean-up. No sauna. No escape routes. No restored chandeliers. And no gold spoons or Persian carpets next door either.
The president will have to put up with an unrefurbished state house and a less-than-glamorous guesthouse. When the president’s house is upgraded, it will be by state employees, not contractors.
On Wednesday, Public Works’s written response to parliamentary questions from the DA’s Athol Trollip said the upgrade of Mahlamba Ndlopfu, the president’s state house in Pretoria, was costing R170m.
“No work has been undertaken, no taxpayers’ money has been spent,” said Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, confirming her promise in March that she had stopped the Mahlamba Ndlopfu refurbishment as too expensive.
“My officials assure me that while it is true that the presidential residence is due to be refurbished, they have not finalised any contracts or settled on a date that the work will begin. They assure me of this and I can assure South Africa that any expenditure on the refurbishment will be in line with normal building costs,” said Mahlangu-Nkabinde.
In March, she told officials to do the work themselves.
“There is no house that is built for R177m. As soon as I heard of it, as the present minister, I put a stop to it and said the expertise you see around the table should help me arrive at giving the president what he needs, but also at a very cost-effective price,” she said then.
On Thursday, she told her acting director-general, Mandla Mabuza, to explain why the costs of the cancelled project were sent to the DA, and Mabuza said heads would roll.
The department’s official response to Trollip said the Mahlamba Ndlopfu fix would cost nearly R170m and listed 29 items, including an electronic surveillance system, escape routes, restoration of fireplaces and chandeliers, a swimming pool fix, a new sauna and steam room, walkway lights, sanitary fittings, solar heating and energy-saving lights.
“This is a department in a complete state of chaos,” said Trollip on Thursday.
Mabuza insisted that “not a single cent” had been spent yet and said he’d demanded answers within 48 hours on why the wrong information was issued.
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“There is no refurbishment of the president’s residence to the tune of R170m or whatever millions that have been quoted,” said Mabuza.
“In line with that instruction by the minister, I, as an accounting officer, had ensured that no process, no process at all, will lead to the refurbishment of the estate to that amount.”
He said department professionals were assessing what work was needed and, when that was finished, he would decide on the work and costs.
In March, the minister also said she’d stopped the procurement of furnishings for the Presidential Guesthouse, which the president was supposed to move into while Mahlamba Ndlopfu was being refurbished. This followed reports by The Star that the department was running tenders for Persian carpets, artworks and gold cutlery for the guesthouse.
Mabuza said any work would also be done in-house.
“There is no new furniture which has been procured. I’m telling you as a matter of fact and as an accounting officer of the department,” he said.
Late on Thursday, chief government spokesman Jimmy Manyi confused things further by saying the renovation cost wasn’t an extravagance.
He said the upgrade would allow the president to do demanding work “in conditions of efficiency, security and the relative comfort that befits the highest office”.
- IOL
On Wednesday, Public Works’s written response to parliamentary questions from the DA’s Athol Trollip said the upgrade of Mahlamba Ndlopfu, the president’s state house in Pretoria, was costing R170m.
But on Thursday, the Ministry and Department of Public Works admitted it had sent the wrong information to Trollip.
“No work has been undertaken, no taxpayers’ money has been spent,” said Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, confirming her promise in March that she had stopped the Mahlamba Ndlopfu refurbishment as too expensive.
“My officials assure me that while it is true that the presidential residence is due to be refurbished, they have not finalised any contracts or settled on a date that the work will begin. They assure me of this and I can assure South Africa that any expenditure on the refurbishment will be in line with normal building costs,” said Mahlangu-Nkabinde.
In March, she told officials to do the work themselves.
“There is no house that is built for R177m. As soon as I heard of it, as the present minister, I put a stop to it and said the expertise you see around the table should help me arrive at giving the president what he needs, but also at a very cost-effective price,” she said then.On Thursday, she told her acting director-general, Mandla Mabuza, to explain why the costs of the cancelled project were sent to the DA, and Mabuza said heads would roll.
The department’s official response to Trollip said the Mahlamba Ndlopfu fix would cost nearly R170m and listed 29 items, including an electronic surveillance system, escape routes, restoration of fireplaces and chandeliers, a swimming pool fix, a new sauna and steam room, walkway lights, sanitary fittings, solar heating and energy-saving lights.
“This is a department in a complete state of chaos,” said Trollip on Thursday.
Mabuza insisted that “not a single cent” had been spent yet and said he’d demanded answers within 48 hours on why the wrong information was issued.
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“In line with that instruction by the minister, I, as an accounting officer, had ensured that no process, no process at all, will lead to the refurbishment of the estate to that amount.”
He said department professionals were assessing what work was needed and, when that was finished, he would decide on the work and costs.
In March, the minister also said she’d stopped the procurement of furnishings for the Presidential Guesthouse, which the president was supposed to move into while Mahlamba Ndlopfu was being refurbished. This followed reports by The Star that the department was running tenders for Persian carpets, artworks and gold cutlery for the guesthouse.
Mabuza said any work would also be done in-house.
“There is no new furniture which has been procured. I’m telling you as a matter of fact and as an accounting officer of the department,” he said.
Late on Thursday, chief government spokesman Jimmy Manyi confused things further by saying the renovation cost wasn’t an extravagance.
He said the upgrade would allow the president to do demanding work “in conditions of efficiency, security and the relative comfort that befits the highest office”.
- IOL
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