Gwanda court building condemned

GOVERNMENT inspectors have condemned the Gwanda Provincial Magistrates Court building, more than a decade after its construction.

Matabeleland South proportional representative MP, Sipho Mokone said the building had been condemned by inspectors as unsafe for occupation after developing numerous cracks.

"The government should make sure that projects are finished within certain timelines, monitoring and evaluation should be key when doing such projects. The Gwanda Provincial Court might just be a tip of the iceberg. There might be similar projects across the country where the government has incurred losses,'' Mokone said.

Efforts to get comment from Justice ministry secretary Virginia Mabhiza were fruitless as she was not picking calls.

Gwanda Residents Association representative Siduduzile Masilela said: "We complained about the cracks that have developed on the building, but they went on to recruit people last month to resume construction.

"We were told that the cracks were going to be filled up. The government has made a lot of losses due to the delays. There were a lot of doorframes and window frames that disappeared."

Masilela also said tonnes of cement expired up due to delays in completing the project.

The Justice ministry is currently using a makeshift building as a court in the town.

In January, Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza said the Local Government and Public Works ministry had engaged a contractor to speed up the construction of the court building.

The complex is located behind the provincial headquarters in Gwanda town and comprises a basement with holding cells, ground floor with four court rooms and offices, and the first floor with court rooms.