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Department of Agriculture and Rural Development MEC, Sambatha Madoda.
Lack of maintenance in government buildings in the North West led to the closure of Agricentre in Mahikeng, which is the provincial office for the Department of Agriculture.
This comes after the Department of Labour recommended that the building be closed because it does not comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
According to the Department of Labour the building has serious structural and electrical problems that makes it unfit for occupation.
Regional secretary for labour union, National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU), Thabo Shuping says many government building are not compliant.
“We have a number of government buildings in the province that are not complying with OHS, agriculture being one of them and having being closed because the branch felt that it has been quite a while since they have raised the issues that are related to OHS, in that building,” adds Shuping.
He says dating back from 2019, there were some notices issued for the building but the building was never closed.
“Nothing was done by management thus far. Although the building is prohibited for entrance we see a number of people are entering the building and are working continuously,” he adds.
The department of Agriculture in the province say, they have now requested alternative accommodation.
“As the Department of Labour has issued a closing report, government must then develop a plan to revamp the building to compliance then call back labour and prove to them that it has been revamped. As we speak now no employee must be taken back there as we have removed everybody. The government must still find alternative office space for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development,” says MEC for the department, Madoda Sambatha.
VIDEO | Agricentre closed due to lack of maintenance
