State property management to get boost

Pretoria - Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) to improve management of state properties, Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi said on Tuesday.

"Last week cabinet approved the business case for the establishment of the Property Management Trading Entity as a government component under the minister of public works," he told reporters via video link from Cape Town.

The PMTE's objective is to improve management of the state property portfolio to save money.

It aims to improve the quality of government services to the public by improving access to, and the quality of, buildings. It hopes to use the property portfolio to empower emerging black business and create jobs.

The PMTE was established in response to negative audits in the past eight years, irregular leases, sub-standard government facilities, no planned maintenance of government properties, and their under-utilisation.

Nxesi said "major achievements" have already been made in the department's turnaround plan in the past two years.

"These fundamental improvements in the core property business meant that we have also improved our audit findings over the last two years."

The department had gone from a disclaimer to an unqualified opinion.