23-07-2025
West remains crucial to urban renewal, says metro
According to MMC of Corporate Shared Services Kholofelo Morodi, the metro's broader urban renewal strategy will cover Pretoria West.
This follows the evictions of illegal occupants during a targeted operation led by Morodi, who is also the metro's bad buildings committee chairperson.
Eviction notices were recently issued to illegal tenants of buildings in the area that belong to the metro.
Mayor, Dr Nasiphi Moya, had said that the city is owed over R26-million through the leasing of its 12 properties, with 35 stands.
Businesses operating illegally were given a notice that expired on July 12, and on July 15, officials were back to ensure all occupants vacated these properties.
'The city-owned precinct had been unlawfully occupied by individuals without valid lease agreements or documentation. In addition to structural neglect and non-payment for services, authorities uncovered a network of illegal electricity connections, posing severe fire hazards and threatening to overload the grid, with implications for citywide energy stability and public safety,' Morodi said.
She added that the operation formed part of the bad building committee's mandate to systematically reclaim and reintegrate hijacked, misused and unsafe assets into formal urban development frameworks.
The operation was carried out through co-ordination across key departments, including Group Property Management, Group Legal, the city manager's office and the TMPD, among others.
Officials received resistance from a group of Nigerian men operating a scrap yard without valid leases.
After refusing to move, TMPD impounded all their vehicles. The warehouse was cleared of over 10 illegally erected shacks on top of the business operation without permits.
'The Pretoria West precinct is one of many strategic properties the city will be securing and restoring to operational dignity. These buildings are not just abandoned; they are being repositioned to fuel inclusive growth, job creation, and spatial justice ahead of the Tshwane Investment Summit in September,' Morodi said.
The urban renewal strategy is aiming to activate neglected urban spaces, safeguard municipal assets and prepare site-ready zones for catalytic development.
'The city will continue to intensify multi-sectoral operation across all seven regions, reclaiming infrastructure that has been hijacked, repurposed or left to deteriorate and repurposing it,' Morodi said.
Residents are encouraged to report illegal electricity use to the city's fraud hotline or email [email protected].
Watch here:
City of Tshwane successfully reclaims hijacked City properties in Pretoria West. @CityTshwane
— Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) July 17, 2025
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