Court grants Northern Cape department access to ‘Glass Palace’

THE DEPARTMENT of Transport, Safety and Liaison was granted immediate access to the Ocean Echo building, also known as the “Glass Palace”, on the corner of Sydney and Lennox streets in Kimberley after the Northern Cape High Court granted an application to enter the provincial offices.

The department had been prevented from accessing important documents, including operating licences and permits stored inside the building, since March 10, when the entrances were secured with locks and chains.

The department brought an urgent court application after it was unable to submit its annual financial reports, as it needed to retrieve personnel and departmental files from the premises.

The building was vacated on November 26, 2024, after two prohibition notices were issued by the Department of Employment and Labour declaring it unsafe.

Structural defects and ventilation issues were identified, while the lifts were out of order and there was general non-compliance with occupational health and safety regulations. Staff also complained of asthma and other respiratory problems.

Following the evacuation, officials have been sharing desks at the Office of the Premier.

According to the department, the long-term lease with Ocean Echo Properties had lapsed, and the department had been occupying the building on a month-to-month basis. However, the director of Ocean Echo Properties, Glynis Millicent Aysen, disputed the alleged lapse and maintained that the lease had been automatically renewed in accordance with the agreement.

A separate court application will be argued for the department to pay rent directly to Nedbank Limited. In court papers, the department advised that it would be “in contempt” if it paid rental directly to the building owners, Ocean Echo Properties.

This follows a court order obtained by Nedbank instructing the department to pay rental to the bank instead.

In her judgment on December 12, Judge Mpho Mamosebo held that the department should be provided with immediate access to the building to recover the necessary documents. She also ordered Ocean Echo Properties to pay the legal costs.

Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison spokesperson Rennie Andrias welcomed the court order granting the department lawful access to its “former premises”.