Unsafe court building closed

THE MUSINA Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo is not operating after the provincial Department of Employment and Labour Occupational Health and Safety shut it down.

The court was deemed unfit to be inhabited, and was closed on Monday. It was served with a notice prohibiting the building from being used, as it was in danger of collapsing, injuring employees or even killing them.

This follows a complaint laid by employees of the court to the department and the Public Servants Association about the unsafe working environment.

The complaint was laid last week, and an inspection was conducted on Monday, which led to the immediate closure of the court.

In a statement, departmental spokesperson Lerato Mashamba said the inspector prohibited the use of the building as per the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

“The building (cash hall and court A and B) poses an immediate danger of collapse, and may lead to severe injuries or death of persons on account of structural support default, and the use of electrical distribution boards that do not have covers, in which circuit breakers and wires are exposed and easily accessible, which poses danger of electrocution and fire.

“The use of damaged electrical extension cords and bare cables connected from the cash hall to other offices within the building, which are used on a daily basis, pose immediate danger of overheating, fire risk, trip and fall, and there is no certificate of compliance for electrical installation that proves that the installation is tested and safe.”

Provincial chief director Johannah Machaba said the department had a mandate to protect the safety and health of workers and any other person who might be affected by activities that take place in the workplace.

“Although the closure may lead to the delay of cases being processed, the health and safety of staff and clients is our priority,” said Machaba.

Machaba added that the building would remain closed until the safety concerns were addressed.

The union has welcomed the closure of the court building. It said it was alerted by frightened members in September last year, which prompted it to inspect the court.

This week, it said: “We regarded the building as a death trap and the closure is a relief. The closure comes after a long battle with the department, as employees were subjected to an unsafe work environment that was in contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

“We raised the matter of employees’ safety, and visited the building in May 2021. After unsuccessful engagement with the employer, the matter was escalated to the Department of Employment and Labour, leading to a visit by an inspector on July 26.

“We hoped the employer would attend to the issues as the department was issued with a contravention notice in September 2020 regarding general safety regulations, construction regulations, and electrical installation regulations. Consequently, a prohibition notice was issued owing to the unsafe building,” the union said.

When Pretoria News contacted the court manager, only known as MM Sithole, she referred questions to the Limpopo Department of Public works.

However, its spokesperson, Joel Seabi, referred Pretoria News to the National Department of Public Works, which had yet to comment by publication time.