The closure of the Trust Bank Building in Vanderbijlpark in the Emfuleni Local Municipality comes as no surprise to the FF Plus. The provincial Department of Labour officially closed down the building on Monday.
The FF Plus had already pointed out the various issues with the building to the Municipal Manager, April Ntuli, two years ago.
The ceilings of the Trust Bank Building, which belongs to the Municipality, collapsed and, consequently, staff members had no choice but to do their work amid the dust and debris.
Many staff members fell ill and a shift roster was compiled.
Various municipal departments, including Rural Management, Local Economic Development, Housing and Human Resources are housed in the Trust Bank Building.
According to a letter received by staff members, they need to gather at the Municipality’s Main Building on Wednesday morning where they will be given more information about the situation.
In the meantime, the affected departments have ground to a halt, causing great frustration among residents.
The FF Plus insists that municipal management should come up with a concrete plan to accommodate these departments in another municipal building.
The party will also demand reasons for why the Municipal Manager failed to act on the warnings about the building’s decline two years ago.
This once again proves that the ANC-controlled Emfuleni has no regard for its staff or residents.
The FF Plus will keep a close eye on the matter and provide feedback to residents.