R200m to fix vandalised NPA building

R200-million. That's what it will cost taxpayers to fix up the R15-million offices bought by the government for the National Prosecuting Authority five years ago - and now, after alleged "technical problems", reduced to a vandalised wreck.

Pritchard Str in the 1970's - The chambers were taken over from Innes Chambers, the subject of much controversy since it was bought by the public works department five years ago to house public prosecutors and allowed to fall into disrepair. Pieces of the handsome facade are now falling off, and if it were not for the pavement canopy, pedestrians could be killed.

Poor security problems have also left the NPA contending with the alleged illegal occupation by Zimbabwean migrants of Innes Chambers - once considered the premium office space for some of Joburg's top advocates.

The NPA this week confirmed that the uninhabitable condition of Innes Chambers in Pritchard Street, bought as its headquarters, had instead forced it to move its Gauteng prosecutors to the Inner Court building next to the Johannesburg High Court.

NPA corporate communications official Bulelwa Makeke further confirmed that the alleged vandalism and illegal occupation of the building had been referred to the regional manager of the Department of Public Works for investigation.

Last week, The Star was able to explore the 10-floor building without any resistance from the security officials deployed there.

Vandals had ripped entire air-conditioning units out of the building's sides, leaving gaping holes in the walls.

Walking through the building also showed how numerous door handles, doors, light fittings and electrical wires had either been stolen or damaged.

Piles of rubbish bore witness to the building's nightly occupants and, on the first floor, broken pipes leaked continuously. Many ceilings in the building had collapsed.

Pritchard Street (now in 2009), which runs up to the Supreme Court Building

Responding to queries from The Star about why the NPA had not used the Innes Chambers building after buying it in 2004, Makeke admitted that it took the NPA two years to "activate" the Innes Chambers project.

She blamed a series of "technical problems" for subsequent delays in the NPA's occupation of the building.

"Professional consultants were appointed by the Department of Public Works to assist with the drafting of the tender for a construction company to undertake refurbishment.

"However, there were complications after it was discovered that there were factual disputes over the lease agreements of some of the tenants.

"This severely affected progress on the refurbishment project and during that period the term of the appointed consultants expired.

"The reappointment of the consultants was approved at the end of 2007, but further technical problems were encountered with respect to the appointed quantity surveyors, which led to further delays in implementation.

"The disputed lease with the tenants expired in 2008 and they are currently running on a month-on-month arrangement with the department. As soon as the construction work is ready to begin, they will vacate the building," Makeke said.

The purchase of Innes Chambers has long been a bone of contention between the NPA and Justice Department, which raised the acquisition on the building as a complaint against axed prosecuting boss Vusi Pikoli during the Ginwala Inquiry into his fitness to hold office. In response, Pikoli said that the building had been bought before he took office.

He was supported by Gauteng NPA deputy director Charin de Beer, who revealed that former prosecuting head Bulelani Ngcuka had been involved in the Innes Chambers purchase.

She said under oath that the NPA had bought the building after the Chief Registrar of the Witwatersrand Local Division had indicated that its prosecutors may have to vacate their Joburg High Court offices to make space for "additional chambers for judges".