Home affairs officially opened its new office at Hemingways Mall on Monday, even as a court battle over the relocation continues. The long-delayed move from Fleet Street to the upmarket mall, originally scheduled for last week, finally went ahead, with steady foot traffic throughout the morning. The relocation has attracted criticism from political parties and members of the public since it was announced in June.
The department has now fully shifted operations to the 3,500m² space in the mall’s east wing, recently refurbished to accommodate the branch. Last week many had first gone to the old building in the CBD, where posters redirected them to the mall, only to discover that the mobile units meant to assist them were inactive due to a broken generator. On Monday, services were up and running and the space was full.
This comes as the lease dispute between the state and its former landlord, Blue Beacon Investments, is set to be heard in the Pretoria high court on Tuesday. Blue Beacon filed a rule 41A mediation notice last week, seeking the court’s approval for an independent mediator in its dispute with the department of public works, the custodian of state property. Rule 41A requires all litigating parties to indicate whether they agree to mediation.
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It argued that the case raised complex questions about the roles of user and custodian departments under the Government Immovable Asset Management Act (GIAMA), and said it still had a valid lease with the state running until May 2026. It proposed that mediation costs be shared equally.
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