The Karel Schoeman Building in Nana Sita Street in Pretoria was vacated by the Gauteng Health Department in June 2010, and R4 053 060 has since been spent guarding this empty building.
An additional amount of R14.1 million was spent on planning for its rehabilitation in 2014, but no final decision has been taken on the future of the building.
This information is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
According to Ramokgopa, the building is owned by the Gauteng Provincial Government and was declared unsuitable for human occupation and use by the Department of Labour.
The current monthly expenditure on the building is R73 612, which amounts to R883 000 a year.
The total amount of money spent on this building since 2010 is R18.15 million which is an incredible waste, and more money will be wasted until it is rehabilitated, demolished or sold.
Poor management and planning is to blame for this and other empty buildings on which money is spent, including the hospital in Kempton Park which was closed in 1997.
A proper strategy is needed to ensure that money doesn’t continue to go down the drain in guarding and maintaining empty government buildings.