- R1 billion has been set aside for cleaning and gardening services at government buildings.
- The funds forms part of a massive budget for the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
- Details of the department's spending plans were shared in Parliament on Tuesday.
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has allocated R1 billion to fund departmental cleaning and gardening activities over the medium-term expenditure framework.
Another R4.5 billion has been set aside for repairs and a further R3.9 billion to fund unplanned day-to-day maintenance.
This is according to Lwazi Mahlangu, the department's deputy director-general for governance, risk and compliance.
On Tuesday, Mahlangu and several other officials briefed Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public works and Infrastructure on its annual performance plan.
"The department will also prioritise facilities that have facilities management over the medium-term. Over the medium-term, an allocation amounting to R2.3 billion has been allocated under-compensation of employees to fund the programme establishment of 2 743 positions.
Framework
"Overall, the facilities management programme has a total budget of R11.8 billion over the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) period, with expenditure set to increase at an average annual rate of 1.6%, from R3.9 billion in 2020-21 to R4 billion in 2023-24,” Mahlangu said in his presentation.
In January, the department said it had spent R5 billion on renting private properties for government departments and institutions.
Expenditure covered the financial year-end March 2020 in which just over 300 landlords were overpaid to the tune of R66 million, most of which the department had recouped.
Some of the most significant amounts spent on rental payments were made for buildings occupied by the South African Police Services.
Mahlangu said the department’s real estate management services branch would focus on reducing private leases within the security cluster.
It also wants to increase revenue through rentals of state-owned small harbour and coastal properties.
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The Property Management and Trading Entity (PMTE) has allocated R9 billion over the medium-term to fund property rates.
“A further R2.5 billion and R29.1 billion was allocated for non-recoverable municipal services and operating lease over the medium-term, respectively. Over the medium-term, an allocation amounting to R546 million has been allocated under compensation of employees to fund the programme establishment of 304 positions," he said.
In the department’s real estate registry services’ branch, spending over the medium-term was geared at maintaining and assessing immovable asset registers.
Mahlangu said about R9 million had been allocated over the medium-term, mainly for travel and subsistence.