Progress at Cleveland Mansions

FOLLOWING months of enquiries into illegal electrical connections at Cleveland Mansions in Glenwood, progress has been made.

According to councillor Nicole Graham, on 24 February the electricity department organised for the police to escort forensic investigators to do a night investigationat the building.

Zola Shabalala from the department said at around 7.30pm the forensic team went to the address to check if electricity was connected and found that some of the lights were turned on. At about 9.05pm investigators entered the premises together with members from the Metro Police, removed all the illegal wires that were connected to the street pole and then monitored the premises to until 10pm, and there was no attempt to reconnect.

“We will still arrange another night investigation, because during the day there was no illegal connection. We are still monitoring it,” said Shabalala.

This has been an ongoing problem, brought to the attention of Berea Mail by Wayne Grundy from Save Our Berea.

Cheryl Johnson from Save Our Berea said: “While Save Our Berea is pleased that forensic investigators escorted by Metro Police finally carried out a long overdue night raid at Cleveland Mansions, we feel this issue had gone on for too long without resolution. We cannot understand why the owner has not been charged. Why city officials have not condemned his property? Surely it is not fit for human habitation?”

She said Save Our Berea found similar conditions at the corner of Problem Mkize and Springfield Roads when they were filming there with Carte Blanche recently. The empty swimming pool at the property was filled to the brim with rotting garbage and open drains contained raw sewerage.

“Where is the Health Department in all of this? Why are they not taking action in both cases? Save Our Berea committee member Wayne Grundy has been monitoring Cleveland Mansions and the surrounding streets for months after initially cleaning up the entire area at his own cost and with his team of workers from Berea Removals. In spite of Wayne and the councilor emailing city officials many times demanding action, it was only with the combined and sustained efforts of Councillor Nicole Graham, Save Our Berea’s Wayne Grundy and the Berea Mail, that city officials finally responded,” she said.

Johnson question what the next step would be, whether city officials confirmed that Cleveland Mansions would be closed down or that the Problem Mkize Road property would be condemned.
“Can they explain to the ratepayers why legal action was not taken action against the owners of both these properties?” she said.