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<\/p>\nNAMIBIAN Correctional Service (NCS) staff have been instructed to return to their Windhoek offices after technical assessments determined that visible structural cracks do not compromise their safety.<\/p>\n
The employees were yesterday forced to urgently evacuate the building after the structural damage was discovered.<\/p>\n
NCS commissioner general Raphael Hamunyela yesterday said the issue was first identified on 31 January last year, when an official from the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) noticed a crack in the building and alerted a correctional service officer.<\/p>\n
Hamunyela said the officer sent him photographs of the damage, after which officials inspected the building and reported the matter to the Ministry of Works and Transport.<\/p>\n
However, the ministry reportedly indicated that the building falls under the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade, which was then informed of the damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems that nothing was done at the time,\u201d Hamunyela said, and added he was only informed yesterday that officials from the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade had been dispatched to assess the situation after concerns were raised about the worsening crack.<\/p>\n
Hamunyela said a pillar outside his office is visibly damaged.<\/p>\n
It involves an external concrete covering that conceals pipes, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pillar itself is intact. What cracked is the outer concrete covering, which serves as a decorative structure and covers pipes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Due to fears that the damaged covering could collapse, Hamunyela said he instructed staff to vacate the offices while emergency services and the Windhoek City Police assessed the site.<\/p>\n
Hamunyela said following this joint inspection, the authorities concluded that the structural integrity of the building is not compromised.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey confirmed that the building is safe and there is no danger of it collapsing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said staff are expected to return to work today.<\/p>\n
No injuries were reported yesterday.<\/p>\n
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