The vacant Telkom Towers complex in Pretoria, bought in 2016 to house the South African Police Service (SAPS), is costing the state about R6.8 million a month, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure told a parliamentary portfolio committee on Wednesday. At the same time SAPS is paying almost R40 million a month to rent multiple premises in the Pretoria city centre, officials said.
Parliamentary scrutiny as costs mount
Officials appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure to answer questions about the underused property after the Auditor-General flagged the acquisition as a material irregularity. The Telkom Towers complex was purchased in 2016 for nearly R700 million and was evacuated in February 2024 because of health and safety concerns. It has remained vacant since.
The department said only one of the complex’s nine buildings was ever used by SAPS; the remainder — reported to have cost at least R592 million — have been empty. Public Works deputy director-general Mandla Sithole told MPs that SAPS holds 68 leases in Pretoria, including 22 in the city centre that together cost about R444 million a year and provide roughly 150,000 square metres of office space and 2,000 parking bays.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase price (2016) | ~R700 million |
| Vacant complex cost to state | R6.8 million/month |
| SAPS city-centre rentals | ~R40 million/month |
| City-centre leases (22) | R444 million/year |
| Estimated refurbishment of Telkom Towers | R1.6 billion |
Ministers and MPs pressed for answers
Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson launched an investigation into the 2016 purchase in August 2024, the department said. In October 2024 the Minister of Police announced SAPS would withdraw from the Telkom Towers complex and pursue “an alternative accommodation strategy”. The public works department told MPs that Macpherson intended to meet the minister of police to discuss the continuing occupancy of leased buildings while the complex remains empty.
Officials indicated a number of options are being considered, including a public–private partnership to address refurbishment costs. The department estimates that bringing the complex up to acceptable standards would require about R1.6 billion.
Opposition and other MPs were critical of the delay and the cost to the state. MK party MP Nkosinathi Nxumalo said the problem was not a shortage of funds or technical skill but a lack of political will to move SAPS into the already purchased buildings. DA MP Bonginkosi Madikizela pressed officials on why the two ministers had not yet met to resolve the matter.
“Private landlords are getting richer from the government rent. This is unacceptable,”
MPs were also told SAPS continues to occupy a large portfolio of leased offices in Pretoria — a position that carries both ongoing rental costs and logistical consequences for the police service. Sithole said the department was exploring options while awaiting the finalisation of unspecified processes related to the complex.
Context and implications
The situation presents both a fiscal and operational issue for the police. Large recurring rental bills for city-centre offices continue while a state-owned property meant to centralise SAPS functions remains unused. The Auditor‑General’s finding of a material irregularity has driven the public works investigation, but MPs signalled impatience with what they described as an unresolved problem that benefits private landlords at taxpayer expense.
- Telkom Towers was bought in 2016 for nearly R700 million and evacuated in February 2024.
- SAPS currently rents many city-centre offices at about R40 million a month, while the empty complex costs about R6.8 million a month to hold.
- The department estimates refurbishment would cost roughly R1.6 billion; a public–private partnership is being considered.
Parliament will likely continue to probe the matter as ministers and officials consider the financial and operational trade-offs of refurbishment, sale or alternative accommodation strategies for the police service.
