De Villiers recently disclosed that Macpherson presented a report on debtors to the public works and infrastructure portfolio committee, with a significant portion of the debt belonging to current and former MPs. The minister is collaborating with parliament and other departments to recover the funds owed. Plans include potentially pursuing debt recovery from former members if necessary.
The portfolio committee has been provided with a detailed list of MPs, past and present, and cabinet ministers who are in arrears with rent payments. Once these individuals have had sufficient time to respond to demand letters, the department may release their names based on the committee’s decision.
In a Q&A session, Macpherson highlighted the department’s annual expenditure of R6bn on office leases for government departments, prompting a review of strategies to bring departments back into government-owned buildings, especially in inner-city areas for urban renewal. Working groups have been established with Tshwane, eThekwini, and Cape Town to identify suitable properties for this purpose.
Macpherson also noted the disparity in rental costs between sea-view offices in suburban areas favored by government departments and government-owned buildings in inner-city areas, pointing out the potential for significant cost savings by utilizing government properties more efficiently.