The new Mamelodi magistrate's court that has been under construction since 2014 has been abandoned before its completion.

Sowetan visited the construction site last week and found scaffolding equipment abandoned around the building. It was surrounded by overgrown grass and there were no workers on site.

It is understood that a payment dispute between the department of public works and the company appointed to carry out the work has caused the stoppage. The R94.7m court building was initially meant to be completed in May 2015.

Resident Oupa Mtshweni told Sowetan that they received lots of calls from the community of Mamelodi asking about the completion of the court building.

"I'm worried because people of Mamelodi travel to town [Pretoria] and spend lots of money every time their cases are being referred to town and it's killing them financially," he said.

Some of the prosecutors at the current Mamelodi magistrate's court who did not want to be named, said they were delighted about getting a bigger court for Mamelodi but they are now disappointed to see it taking so long.

"The current court is small, [there is] no privacy and the toilets don't have doors. What if someone [is] raped inside?" asked one prosecutor.

Fikile construction MD Jacques de Waal said the delay was as a result of awaiting the approval of additional work.

Department of public works spokesperson Thamsanqa Mchunu said the completion date of the court building was extended to November 2018.

"The contractor has submitted a new application for the extension of the completion date. The delays were caused by much interference, including strikes and approved additional works [variation orders]. The department conducted a financial risk assessment of the contractor during the tender evaluation and found it acceptable," Mchunu said.

"All certified claims to the contractor were paid on time."