Macpherson orders probe into 6,238 state homes after R39.6m spent on maintenance

By Thapelo Molefe

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has ordered an investigation into more than 6,200 state-owned homes occupied by government officials after the department spent nearly R40 million maintaining the properties despite having expenditure records for only a small fraction of them.

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure spent an estimated R39.6 million on day-to-day maintenance during the 2025/26 financial year. However, expenditure records were available for only 108 of the 6,238 state-owned residential properties allocated to government departments for official use.

Macpherson has instructed Director-General Sifiso Mdakane to investigate all 6,238 properties and submit a report within 30 days detailing who occupies each property, whether it is still required for operational purposes, and which properties should be retained, repurposed or sold.

KwaZulu-Natal has the largest number of state-owned residences, with 3,626 properties, followed by the Western Cape with 566 and Gauteng with 407.

The investigation