Task team ready to act on Durban’s Illegal student residences

COME the new year, the task team formed to address the mushrooming student accommodation in the Glenmore and Manor Gardens areas will move forward to deal with this issue.

So says Councillor Thabani Mthethwa, PR councillor for ward 101 and DA eThekwini caucus chief whip, who has been working with the task team to identify illegal student residences in the suburbs.

In August, Mthethwa announced there had been a hold-up with the task team as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

He told Berea Mail he was waiting on the municipality’s Land Use Management unit for a list of legal student accommodation in the area.

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“There are two problems, compliance and enforcement. If people are going to establish students residences, they need to do so properly. I have spoken to Land Use Management and I am waiting for a list of establishments which have been applied for and zoned correctly through the municipality.

This is tying in with what the task team is doing, working with the tertiary institutions in the area to get information on legal residences they deal with,” said Mthethwa, adding that he aimed to have the list by January.

He said through this, they would be able to see how many in the area are compliant.

“Once we have this information we can work with the municipality to enforce the bylaws,” he said.

Mthethwa said another issue was the nuisance – what to do when there are parties and marches, such as ones in Glenmore recently where residents complained about students marching up and down the road mobilising for the SRC election at the university.

“Regarding parties, I am working with Metro Police to address any complaints and to be visible, to address this and other crime in the area during the festive season,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the task team, Janus Horn said he had asked the Land Use Management for a meeting to get some clarity on this matter. He said the residences affect property value and cause disturbance in the neighbourhoods.

“It is terrible in this area – someone buys a house, and suddenly they alter it and 30 students are living in the house. They drink 24/7, there is no curfew. I have spoken to Metro Police and they have been patrolling. There are eight problematic properties in our area. With these residences, people need to follow the proper procedures,” he said.

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Commenting on the recent noise disturbance by students in the Glenmore area, Normah Zondo, acting executive director of the corporate relations division at the University of KwaZulu-Natal said management regrets the disturbance which affected residents in the area.

“Management is highly cognisant and wary of student code of conduct, especially in residential areas where space is shared with the public.

All students residing in residential areas are expected to abide by the municipal bylaws. UKZN students who are found to be in contravention of these bylaws will face disciplinary measures,” she said.

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