South Africa’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusi Madonsela, has described as ‘unfortunate’ reports of the embassy in dire condition.

“The building being referred to in a media report and repeated by one of the political parties in the GNU is the old Chancery building in The Hague, which was vacated in 2012.

The initial renovation project was terminated following a dispute with the then project manager over costs, and that building has since remained unoccupied and vacant.

An assessment was undertaken and a decision made to renovate and convert that old Chancery building into accommodation for transferred diplomatic staff from Pretoria. A process is currently underway to appoint a service provider,” Madonsela told IOL when approached for a response.

His comments come in the wake of Democratic Alliance Federal Chair, Helen Zille’s tweets about a media report on the matter in The Rapport newspaper.

In it, the article claimed its team, which visited the embassy property in the Netherlands, recorded 30 broken windows and the building in a state of disrepair.

The report prompted a tweet from Zillie, who fired shots at the ANC on X: ‘How is it that the ANC ruins everything it touches? How can our beautiful embassy in Den Haag be so run-down? How can any building end up with 30 broken windows unless there is malicious intent? So many questions. So much shame.’

This, said Madonsela, was disingenuous as it created the false impression that the building being referred to is the embassy where its daily operations are carried out.

“The building in question has not had any staff working there since 2012. The building is being renovated, including all windows. The decision to convert the old Chancery building into staff accommodation is also considered as part of the department’s cost-cutting measures going forward.

“However, considering that the building is classified as a heritage building, this also further complicates the process, as we need to adhere to strict regulations and specifications. But this has nothing to do with the property which operates as our embassy, where there although not in perfect condition, certainly is not in disrepair, falling apart, or has any broken windows,” added Madonaela.

The issue also had ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula and the DA’s Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Dean Macpherson, exchange words on the matter on social media. Mbalula blamed Macpherson’s DA-led department for the lack of maintenance on the building, whilst Macpherson hit back, saying that responsibility fell under the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

IOL News 

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