40-storey Pretoria landmark needs urgent restoration

Restoration work and repairs are being done to the facade of the landmark multi-storey Volkskas building in Pretoria's city centre to ensure that it is restored to its original stature and that it does not pose a danger to the public.

Absa spokesman Mark Pero said repair work was currently under way.

The Pretoria High Court ordered at the end of last year that Liberty Group take all steps to ensure that the facade of the building is effectively secured.

The company was also ordered to take the necessary steps to prevent any threat to life and damage to property.

Judge TM Makgoka at the time said the issue regarding the full extent of the repairs and maintenance would be referred to arbitration.

But pending the outcome of the arbitration, the Liberty Group had to ensure that it did not pose a further danger to anyone.

The 40-storey office block houses Absa's regional headquarters.

The court last year heard that the facade of the building was deteriorating and has been in a state of disrepair for some time.

A firm of architects, commissioned by the owners of the building Direct-Shelf 14 Ltd, issued a report in November 2008 on the danger which the building posed.

It was stated in the report that the deterioration and breaking away of portions of the facade had started in the mid 1990s.

According to the report only nominal measures have been taken to secure sections of the facade.

It was further stated that the risk of sections of the facade breaking away and falling to the ground was extremely high and that such risk increased daily due to further deterioration and lack of maintenance.

The owner of the building initially asked the court to either order that Standard Bank, to whom it leased the building, undertook the repairs, or that it be done by Liberty, to whom Standard Bank is sub-letting the building.

In terms of the agreement between the parties, the lessee undertook responsibility for the repair and maintenance work to the building. But the court found that Standard Bank had delegated its obligations to Liberty to fully repair and maintain the building.

Liberty spokeswoman Fiona Hannig, however, said Absa took full responsibility for fixing the building.

"In November last year judgment was handed down with the order that the matter go to arbitration.

"The Liberty Group, Direct-Shelf 14 and Absa are agreeing on an arbitrator currently so that the matter can proceed to arbitration," she said.

Hannig said regarding the repairs on the facade of the building, the Liberty Group and Absa in 2003 entered into an agreement in terms of which Absa undertook full responsibility regarding the repairs to the building.

Pretoria News

Posted at 11:57AM Mar 01, 2010 by Editor in Commercial  |