Gauteng’s R34 million office rental scandal has exploded into a political firestorm, with the EFF and citizens demanding an end to government waste. As pressure mounts, the province faces a reckoning over its spending priorities.
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The Gauteng provincial government has landed in political hot water as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) intensify calls to end what they describe as the province’s “wasteful and obscene” R34 million monthly office rental bill. As economic pressures squeeze ordinary South Africans, this revelation has ignited public anger and sharpened debates about government accountability, spending priorities, and fiscal waste.
At the centre of the storm is the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development, which confirmed that it spends more than R400 million a year leasing office space for various departments across Johannesburg and Pretoria. Critics say this expense is unjustifiable in a province battling housing shortages, school overcrowding, and creaking public hospitals.
EFF leader Julius Malema didn’t mince words in Parliament last week, branding the rental deals “an insult to the suffering poor.” Addressing Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, Malema demanded immediate cancellation of the agreements, calling them a “rich man’s luxury funded by the taxpayer.”
The EFF’s intervention has struck a nerve with citizens already frustrated by deepening inequality and rising living costs. On social media, the hashtag #StopTheR34MillionRent began trending as activists and opposition parties joined the chorus demanding action.
Behind the numbers lies a larger political scandal. Investigations reveal that some of the leased buildings are owned by politically connected property developers, raising suspicions that lucrative rental contracts may have been awarded without proper oversight or competition.
“This is not just about rent — it’s about corruption disguised as business,” says political analyst Thuli Madonsela. “Gauteng’s office rental spree has become the new face of state capture at the provincial level.”
The Gauteng government, for its part, has defended the expenditure, claiming that owning office buildings outright would require capital the province doesn’t currently have. Premier Lesufi admitted that while the costs are high, many departments would “grind to a halt” without these leases.
But critics are not convinced. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for an independent audit of all provincial lease agreements, arguing that Gauteng taxpayers deserve to know who is profiting from these multi-million rand deals. DA MPL Solly Msimanga has threatened legal action if transparency isn’t forthcoming.
The scandal comes at a sensitive time for Lesufi’s administration, which has been positioning itself as a reformist government committed to “service delivery first.” Now, opposition parties are using the office rental revelations to portray the provincial government as out of touch with ordinary people’s realities.
Economists warn that the public backlash could derail Gauteng’s ambitious infrastructure plans. “This kind of fiscal waste undermines investor confidence and damages the province’s reform agenda,” says economist Lumkile Mondi. “It suggests that political elites are still living large while citizens tighten their belts.”
Beyond the politics, the scandal raises serious policy questions about how government offices are managed. South Africa has long struggled with a fragmented property portfolio, where different departments lease rather than own, leading to bloated rental costs and poor accountability.
The national Department of Public Works has previously acknowledged that state-owned office buildings are often underutilized or neglected, while government departments rack up rental expenses from private landlords. Civil society groups argue that this systemic failure drains billions from the public purse every year.
For residents of Gauteng, the anger is visceral. In Alexandra township, where informal settlements sprawl next to the glittering towers of Sandton, the contrast between R34 million office rents and crumbling schools could not be starker.
“How do they sleep at night, paying R34 million a month while my child shares a classroom with 70 others?” asks Nthabiseng Mokoena, a mother and activist from Soweto. “We are told there’s no money for clinics, but there’s always money for fancy offices.”
The EFF has vowed to keep the pressure on, threatening street protests and legal challenges unless the Gauteng government scraps the controversial leases. The party is also lobbying for national legislation to cap government office rentals and force departments to consolidate into state-owned buildings.
The fallout is already being felt. Sources say some rental contracts are now under review, and the provincial treasury is considering options to reduce rental costs in the next fiscal year.
But for many citizens, damage has already been done. The scandal has become symbolic of a broader failure in governance, where public money is spent with little regard for service delivery or public need.
As elections loom on the horizon, the R34 million rent saga is expected to become a key campaign issue — one that opposition parties hope will erode ANC dominance in Gauteng and fuel broader demands for accountability across South Africa.
Whether this outcry leads to real reform or fades into another forgotten scandal remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the people of Gauteng are watching — and they are tired of paying the rent for political elites.
