Rented office space which was unoccupied by the South African National Aids Trust for 18 months has cost the state R792Â 000, according to national Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
In a written reply to a question from Democratic Alliance (DA) health spokesman Ryan Coetzee, the minister said the trust was set up to provide, secure funding and promote the execution by the South African National Aids Council of its mandate, which was to advise government on HIV/Aids and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) policy.
Asked what activities the trust undertook in the 2003/04 financial year towards meeting its objectives, the minister said there was “an interim agreement between the trust and the department of health to the effect that the latter would perform administrative functions for the trust until such time as the trust was able to function on its own”.
Through this arrangement the trust had supported the council to conduct meetings, ensure participation of council members at World Aids Day, support sector summits for nomination of representatives on the council and support sectors in activities of advocacy and mobilisation relating to the country’s strategic plan on HIV and Aids.
Asked whether the trust had rented premises and when the trust took legal possession and physically occupied the building, she said the building was at Hadefields Office Park, Pretorius Street, Pretoria.
She said legal possession had been taken on March 1 2003 but the building had only been physically occupied on September 1 2004.
When the offices were procured, it was anticipated that the staff to be employed would be in place within a short period of time. However, due to government procurement procedures for staff, the full staff complement was only
in place in January 2004.
“The staff began with preparations for occupation of the offices. The services necessary to ensure full functionality of the offices meant tender procurement procedures through government, a process which takes time, with the
final tender for security being cleared by the National Intelligence Agency in September 2004.
She noted that the monthly rental was 44Â 000 rand. The total rental bill for unoccupied space was therefore 792Â 000. – I-Net Bridge