Save Our Berea supports call for building inspectorate probe
"We will continue to exert pressure on the Integrity Unit and we urge Berea residents to do the same."
SAVE Our Berea (SOB) has expressed its alarm that Council Speaker has rejected a motion by the Democratic Alliance calling on the Executive Committee to consider investigating the Development Planning, Environment and Management Department through the City Investigations and Integrity Unit.
This comes after a report on Berea Mail’s website last week, where ward 31 councillor Chris Pappas raised concerns about the failure of the City to appoint a permanent Building Control Officer and the alleged instability, lack of capacity, internal politics and corruption that has plagued the department for many years and hampered the enforcement of buidling regulations and land use bylaws within the city.
Pappas said the failure to appoint a permanent Building Control Officer, despite there being qualified candidates, was indicative of the internal shenanigans currently plaguing the effective implementation and enforcement of building regulations and other land use management regulations.
ALSO READ: DA calls for city to appoint building control officer
SOB’s Cheryl Johnson and Kevin Dunkley said they believed there was an urgent need for this investigation.
“We too submitted a similar request on 26 August to the City Investigations and Integrity Unit but to date have had no response from them. We will continue to exert pressure on the Integrity Unit and we urge Berea residents to do the same,” they said.
They said SOB is a non-political organisation but in the light of the evidence they have at their disposal, this investigation should take place.
“We believe the interests of the ratepayers are being superceded because of elections next year. We have no interest in political battles. Our interest lies in service delivery,” they said.
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