South Africa: R6.8-Million Spent a Month On Empty Police Headquarters in Pretoria

What the report says

A vacant police headquarters complex in Pretoria is drawing fresh scrutiny after South Africa’s public works department told Parliament that the empty Telkom Towers site is costing the public about R6.8 million a month. The building was bought in 2016 for nearly R700 million as a planned home for the South African Police Service (SAPS), but it was evacuated in February 2024 because of health and safety concerns and has remained unused since then.

According to the GroundUp report carried by AllAfrica, SAPS is also spending nearly R40 million a month on rental premises in Pretoria’s city centre while the Telkom Towers complex sits idle. Officials said SAPS has 68 leases in the city, including 22 in the centre that together cover substantial office and parking space and cost about R444 million a year. The department estimates that refurbishing Telkom Towers would require around R1.6 billion, and it is examining a possible public-private partnership.

The issue was raised during a parliamentary committee meeting on public works and infrastructure, where MPs pressed officials for explanations about the delays and costs. The Auditor General has already flagged the purchase as a material irregularity, and Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson has launched an investigation. The dispute matters because it highlights the financial strain of keeping police operations in rented buildings while a state-owned headquarters remains unused.