Public Service Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is refusing to set her foot in the department headquarters in Pretoria, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
The newspaper reported that Sisulu said the building is in a rundown part of the town and was not safe for her staff.
She has, instead moved into the offices of one of the agencies under her department, forcing senior management to relocate from one of the floor to give the minister and her entourage enough office space.
Sisulu's spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabaya confirmed that the minister had not been to the department's headquarters since her redeployment two months ago, owing to concerns about the location and state of the building.
Mabaya said Batho Pele House, in the CBD of Pretoria was not ideal for Sisulu and other ministerial staff.
He said the building was derelict and in the wrong part of town, making it unsafe to work late.
“It is not a secrete that the building is not located well. I personally would have a problem working there in the evening,” he said.
Sisulu has set up operation in the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) in Erasmuskloof in Pretoria East.
Mabaya insisted that Sisulu had nothing to do with the decision to set up office in the Sita headquarters.
He said the decision was taken by ministerial management team, which had safety concerns regarding the location of the building. - Sapa