The South African national Department of Public Works is to spen a total of nearly two billion rand on its building programme in the nine provinces during the 2003/04 financial year.
According to a memorandum by Minister Stella Sigcau, tabled in Parliament, nearly half of this money — a total of R900-million — will be allocated to prisons in all nine provinces while the next highest amount will be spent on justice department buildings, a total of nearly R230-million.
A total of R208-million will be spent this year on South African Police Service buildings.
The largest single budgetary allocation goes to correctional services buildings in Gauteng — a total of nearly R290-million. Gauteng also receives the highest proportion of spending this year — a total of nearly R700-million for buildings falling under 12 departments.
Included in the Gauteng prison building programme is the construction of an adult male medium security prison for 3 000 inmates at Nigel — which will cost more than R20-million.
Also costing more than R20-million will be a head office for correctional services in Pretoria while the construction of an adult male medium security prison at Leeuwkop Prison Farm at Sandton will cost a similar amount.
The total allocation for department buildings is as follows: R15,3-million for agriculture department buildings, R145-million on arts and culture, R900-million on correctional services, R55,7-million on defence, R34-million on environmental affairs and tourism, R21-million on home affairs, R229-million on justice, R52-million on labour, R15-million on land affairs, R86-million on prestige accommodation, R152-million on public works itself and R208-million on the SA Police Service.
The bulk of the agriculture building spending goes towards the construction of an analytical laboratory at Stellenbosch’s agricultural college while the bulk of the justice allocation goes to Gauteng — a total of R117-million.
Included in the latter is the construction of a tower complex and refurbishment of the Benoni magistrate’s office and various building programmes at the Pretoria, Randburg, and Tembisa magistrates’ offices. A construction of a building in Johannesburg for the constitutional court is stated as being “above” R20-million. – I-Net Bridge