The historic Botha Sigcawu Building in Mthatha has become a monument to the government's lack of maintenance after a fire tore through the structure -- despite repeated concerns raised over the condition of the building.
The only good news from the fire that gutted several district government offices at the landmark Botha Sigcawu Building in Mthatha is that no one was seriously injured.
Aside from that, the blaze that broke out on Tuesday is nothing short of a disaster. Public records lost, various departments displaced, disruptions in service delivery and a clear lack of care for a historically significant building.
The Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs, and Tourism (DEDEAT), in a January response to questions about the state of government-occupied buildings, deemed the building "unsafe for occupation".
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DEDEAT MEC Nonkqubela Pieters said the Botha Sigcawu Building had "severe unresolved maintenance problems".
Based on a health and safety assessment done between July and September 2025, she listed the following non-compliance issues:
- Severe unresolved maintenance problems necessitating remote work arrangements;
- Security breaches requiring urgent upgrades;
- Need to install more cameras as per specifications;
- Building condition deemed unsafe for occupation;
- Water storage tanks still awaiting Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) procurement; and
- No fire drills are possible due to the building condition, and non-coordination of drills by DPWI.
The Botha Sigcawu Building was at the top of a list of buildings Pieters flagged as having shortcomings, in response to questions...
