Premier takes tour of new Polokwane high court

POLOKWANE – THE construction of the six-storey Polokwane high court by the Siya Zama GVK Building Contractors is at 96% completion.

This was confirmed by Independent Development Trust spokesperson, Pasha Makgolane, during a tour of the site by premier Stanley Mathabatha on Wednesday.

Phasha said the new court consisted of 13 courts, 21 judges’ chambers, administration offices and offices for the director of public prosecution, the master of the high court, family advocate, state attorneys and legal aid departments.

There were also 258 underground parking bays, Phasha said.

The contract for the building of the high court was taken over by Gauteng Company Siya Zama GVK Building Contractors in July 2013 after the initial contractor, Sanyati Munaka JV, failed even though they had been granted two extensions to finish the contract since 2009.

The building was at 65% completion at the time they left the premises.

Before they could start building again, the new contractor, Siya Zama GVK Building Contractors, had to get rid of water that had accumulated in the abandoned building after the previous contractor left the premises of the unfinished building in October 2012.

“The contract should have been finalised by January 2012, then July 2012 and finally by the end of October 2012.

“Let’s not speculate about the completion date, we are almost done with the construction process,” Makgolane said.

Mathabatha said he was happy with the progress witnessed at the site, adding that once the new building was in use, it would relieve the overload experienced in the current court building.