South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday accused the ruling African National Congress of wasting public funds through the long-delayed Kopanong project to develop government offices in Johannesburg.

The Kopanong Precinct Project, formerly known as the Gauteng Provincial Government Precinct, was launched in 2003 to accommodate all government officials in 21 buildings in downtown Johannesburg.

The DA said the cost of construction had increased from an initial estimate of R2.5-billion in 2005 to R7.5-billion due to numerous delays, with the project even being shelved in 2013 due to “re-prioritisation” before it was resurrected on 2015.

"In the meantime, these buildings were left to crumble and added to the decay of the inner city," the DA said.

"If there is any project that highlights the lack of expertise in the public sector and that demonstrates the reckless attitude of government to public money, then the Kopanong Precinct is the perfect case study."