BCM plans new office precinct

31-05-2017
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Daily Dispatch
Source

Plans are under way for Buffalo City Metro’s very first multi million-rand office precinct.

Metro mayor Xola Pakati said the building – which is to house more than 5000 municipal employees in East London’s central business district – is part of a bigger plan to revive the city centre.

The Dispatch has reported several times about the millions the metro as well as other government departments continue to spend monthly renting office space from private property owners.

Included in the rented buildings is Munifin building, which is located at the corner of Terminus and Oxford streets. The building houses the metro’s traffic and finance departments.

Others are the Old Mutual building on Oxford Street, which houses the chief financial officer and his support staff, and Trust Building near the post office where all senior managers, including the municipal manager and some of the senior executive councillors are currently housed.

The 10-storey building also houses the metro’s customer care centre, and also has parking space for hundreds of employees.

“We will move with speed in identifying the best suitable spot,” Pakati said.

“The first part of the project will be to do the feasibility study and thereafter, once we know where we will built the precinct, we will open up everything for tender so that we can safely say in this term of office we managed to have a building that we can call BCM’s – so that we can save the costs of renting office space,” Pakati said.

He said there were two options if the environmental assessment results are favourable: a municipal property at the corner of Oxford and Church streets in the University of Fort Hare area, and near the sleeper site on Caxton Street.

“There are options – we will be guided by the scientific studies,” he added.

South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) BCM regional secretary Zolani Ndlela said they had yet to receive a briefing from management about the project.

“Any news of doing away with outsourcing basic services, including renting office space from private developers is most welcome.

“Where we can, we must have our own buildings so that we can save ratepayers’ money,” he added.

The announcement comes a few days after the mayor officially launched the construction of phase two of the multi million-rand Beacon Bay - Gonubie road link.