Metro removes occupants from condemned building
The Tshwane metro, led by Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya, recently evicted occupants of a Pretoria West building marked for demolition.
In March, the metro obtained a court order to demolish illegally constructed buildings on Stand 1313 and Stand 1312, located at 510 and 514 Luttig Street, Pretoria West.
The Pretoria High Court received an appeal from George Asaba and GABSA Consolidated Prop (Pty) Ltd to stop the order from being carried out, but the appeal was struck off the roll in the High Court on April 3.
The structures built violated the National Building Regulations and Building Standards.
While conducting a Tshwane Ya Tima drive in parts of the CBD and Pretoria West, the mayor stopped by the condemned property to remove any occupants or property still left at the site.
They stopped the Tshwane Ya Tima operation temporarily to support the officers enforcing the court order.
'Something good happened in our pursuit of law and order in our city. We have obtained a court order that has allowed us to demolish the structure. Both of these yards have erected all of this illegally. There are no approved plans, so we approached the court and the court granted us the order,' Moya said.
Moya said the city has been fighting for three years in court while owners kept expanding their building, and described the order being granted as a victory for Tshwane.
'These private people who erect these [buildings] and rent them out don't want to take the responsibility for those people who then rent from them. It's quite sad to see such because it shows people want to put money over people's rights,' she said.
'We have removed the people who are staying here because, more than anything, these buildings are not safe.
We can say we're not going to evict people, but what if something happens to them? We've seen these cases in Tshwane, and we've seen them in Joburg.
She said they were going to demolish the structure.
'When you look at it, you can see no thought went into the fact that this is a space that should be suitable for human beings. The toilets are connected to the kitchen and all sorts of things.
Moya said there was going to be law and order in Tshwane and that they are going to target 'these buildings with no control or order'.
'Pretoria West is notorious for these,' Moya said.
The Tshwane metro has also impounded several vehicles that were found inside this yard.
'The landlords of these illegal buildings take advantage of the fact that the people who are desperate for housing are usually foreigners, a factor found to be at play in this instance,' said the mayor.
Other stops during the Ya Tima drive included the Bothongo Plaza, which was the second switch-off operation done at that location. The owners have defaulted and owe the city more than R1.17-million.
A building on Francis Baard Street in the CBD was shut off after owing R466 956. This building leases space to various businesses, including a government department.
The third property was in Sunnyside, which owes the city R3-million.
The fourth stop was in Pretoria West at the Ebbul Foods factory, which owes R445 382.
Tshwane Ya Tima also disconnected Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa. The company owes R608 313.
The final stop was at Delta Prop Fund, which made good on its promise to immediately pay its outstanding debt of R492 211.
Residents and businesses are urged to settle their municipal accounts as soon as possible to avoid disconnection.
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