Macpherson says 8,465 government buildings need urgent attention as backlog hits R28bn

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson says 8,465 government-owned buildings are currently classified as being in poor or critical condition, with the maintenance backlog estimated at about R28 billion.

Macpherson provided the figures in response to a parliamentary question from Inkatha Freedom Party MP Siphosethu Ngcobo, who asked about the condition of government-owned properties, funded maintenance plans and the department's timeline for addressing the backlog.

The minister said the buildings, as at August 1, 2026, represented 10.8 percent of the total government property portfolio, and that an estimated 50 percent of buildings classified as being in poor or critical condition were registered for refurbishment.

He said day-to-day maintenance was the responsibility of user departments and was carried out through their devolved budgets, but that there was no confirmed timeline for addressing the full maintenance backlog.

'Notwithstanding the projects which are in execution, the maintenance backlog of approximately R28 billion will require substantial capital injection, and therefore the scheduling of a timeline and refurbishment plans are subject to the confirmation of budget by the National Treasury and user departments,' Macpherson said.

The minister said the scale of the maintenance backlog was one of the reasons the department had proposed establishing the South African National Property Company, a dedicated, commercially driven institution with ringfenced revenue and the technical skills needed to operate a property company, which would use public-private partnership models to maintain, refurbish and construct new assets.