DA calls for city to appoint building control officer

THE Democratic Alliance has raised its concerns of the city’s failure to appoint a permanent Building Control Officer.

According to ward 31 councillor, Chris Pappas, instability, lack of capacity, internal politics and corruption in the Building Inspectorate and Land Use Management departments have for many years hampered the effective management and enforcement of building regulations and land use bylaws in eThekwini.

“The failure to appoint a permanent Building Control Officer despite there being qualified candidates is indicative of the internal shenanigans currently plaguing the effective implementation and enforcement of building regulations and other land use management regulations,” he said.

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Pappas said the Democratic Alliance had submitted a motion to the Speaker calling on the Executive Committee to consider investigating the Development Planning, Environment and Management Department through the City Investigations and Integrity Unit but that this had been rejected.

Pappas said residents in areas across the metro continued to be subjected to unprincipled developers who showed disdain for the law. Despite efforts to get the City to intervene, many building and land use issues went unresolved in eThekwini.

“The failure to permanently fill the Building Control Officer posts as well as the rejection of the motion for an investigation will only further exasperate the situation in the built environment in the city,” he said.

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