'We are living like pigs'

2008-01-14 10:03

Amanda Tongha

Johannesburg - Staff at Johannesburg's main post office said they were "living like pigs" in filthy and unhygienic circumstances while management and the authorities did nothing to improve these conditions.

The post office at the corner of Jeppe and Small Street in the CBD, was a breeding ground for rats, they said. Staff said they were sick all the time as a result of dirty conditions inside the building.

A staff member who was fed-up with the dirty floors and stinking bathrooms phoned the department of health and Beeld newspaper.

During Beeld's visit, the building was in a terrible condition with holes in the floor, rubbish behind the building and a rat in the tearoom.

Terrible stench

A terrible stench came from the bathroom on the ground floor, where rubbish was strewn around.

The post office rented two floors from the building which belonged to Telkom.

It was not clear who was responsible for cleaning the building.

A spokesperson for Telkom said the Total Facility Management Company (TFMC) managed the building on behalf of Telkom.

Sharon Rheede, the company's regional manager, said they had received no complaints about the buidling. She said somebody would look into the problem this week.

Rheede, who said she "didn't know the ins and outs of the building", didn't want to say whether TFMC was responsible for cleaning the building.

One of the employees said they were "living dogs and pigs".

"Management doesn't care. You step out of a clean place in the morning and then have to enter this place."

"I never had a runny nose before, but now I have one permanently."

Another employee said the building was unsafe. She said she was hit over the head with a stone inside the building one night despite security guards being on duty.

The guards apparently did not patrol the building and people entered at their will.

The post office management didn't want to comment and referred enquiries to their head office in Pretoria. These offices opened only this week.

Nkosinathi Nkabinde, spokesperson for the department of health, confirmed that a health inspector had been sent to the post office and that details would be revealed at a later stage.

- Beeld