Minister sends back “completely inadequate” report on police headquarters scandal
Report fails to identify those responsible for the Telkom Towers mess, Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson tells Parliament
Carol Phiri (centre), chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, during an oversight visit to Telkom Towers in Pretoria. Archive photo: Ihsaan Haffejee
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has called off a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with MPs to discuss a report on the controversial police headquarters at Telkom Towers in Pretoria.
Macpherson said the report was “completely inadequate”.
Telkom Towers, purchased in 2016 for nearly R700-million as the headquarters for the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Pretoria, was evacuated due to health and safety concerns in February 2024.
The purchase was flagged by the Auditor-General, who found that only one of the nine buildings in the complex had ever been used by SAPS and the remaining vacant buildings had cost the government at least R592-million.
Macpherson launched an investigation in August 2024.
In September 2025, MPs on the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure criticised the slow progress of the investigation. In November, Macpherson told Parliament that the investigation was complete.
But he has sent the report back twice already, noting that it did not clarify who was responsible for the debacle.
In response to GroundUp’s questions, public works spokesman Lennox Mabaso said the report had failed to identify the officials responsible.
He said the minister had directed that additional work be done to ensure that Parliament is presented with a comprehensive and actionable report.
Mabaso said Macpherson had indicated that the Telkom Towers project would be part of the newly announced South African National Property Company. The intention is to partner with the private sector and turn the property into a mixed-use asset.
Committee chair Carol Phiri (ANC), said the committee had “reluctantly” agreed to postpone the meeting. “There is nothing it can do if the department is not ready to present the forensic report,” she said.
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