Municipality to act on derelict building

STANDING derelict and in a state of decay, the building at 159 East Street in Overport has been the centre of complaints and health and security concerns for the surrounding community for many years. According to ward 31 councillor, Chris Pappas, city officials have now been instructed to treat the controversial property as a matter of priority.

Pappas said officials were in the process of locating or applying to courts to appoint an Executor to deal with the property. The matter was also raised at a meeting with crime prevention stakeholders at City Hall on 7 November where the concerns surrounding the property were brought to the attention of deputy mayor, Fawzia Peer, Peer is also chairperson of the Emergency Services Committee.

“As we all know, the matter has been attended to over the years by means of inspections, raids, prosecutions and extensive tracing. The department is dealing with the Prevention of Illegal Eviction Act which not only prevents the municipality from removing individuals who have moved into the abandoned building, but also imposes the responsibility for providing alternate accommodation,” said Pappas.

He said should the municipality eventually obtain an Order against the owner to rehabilitate the building, which is structurally certified and cannot be demolished, and vict the inhabitants, it will be the city’s responsiblity to execute the Order should the owner fail to do so.

“As a project, the municipality has budgeted to have this matter in Court before the end of the financial year. The process is making progress and we have to follow legal procedure which is slow and unavoidably tedious,” said Pappas.