A TASK team has been formed by residents of ward 101 to deal with the mushrooming student accommodation establishments in the area.
Councillor Thabani Mthethwa, PR councillor for ward 101 and DA eThekwini caucus chief whip, said a meeting was called to determine the way forward following the opening of a number of establishments in the Carrington Heights and Manor Gardens areas.
“We need to be able to regulate student accommodation in some way that doesn’t inconvenience property owners. We have to realise this issue isn’t going to go away. The residents formed a task team to deal with these establishments with the aim to profile each facility and ensure safety and security is adhered to. We have found in some cases there are eight students living in one room. We need to look at each of these establishments and determine whether they comply with regulations and ensure they are known to the municipality and the university,” he said, adding that a meeting would need to be convened to encourage stakeholder engagement to manage the situation. This would include Land Use Management, business licencing, the CPF and residents.
Councillor Mthethwa said he had contacted Land Use Management and the City Manager regarding the student accommodation which was being built in Bowen Avenue, Glenmore.
READ RELATED: Container accommodation at Glenmore property raises concerns
Berea Mail revealed the issues surrounding this accommodation in an article published in January, in which residents expressed their frustration over the slow action by city officials to deal with plans to establish student accommodation in containers on a property in the road.
Commenting on the issue, Mthethwa said he had received complaints from concerned residents of Bowen Avenue and surrounding areas over the past few weeks.
“I have personally been there and can confirm that indeed construction is ongoing. From the information I gathered, municipal officials have told residents that the owner of the property has been served with notice twice, however construction is still happening. Surely if notice has been served it therefore can not be allowed that the owner of the property just ignore this, and it is business as usual?” he said.
He said he had asked Land Use Management to confirm whether building plans had been approved.
“If plans have not been approved and the owner has twice been served notice and continues to ignore officials, why has there been no enforcement? We cannot be a lawless city at the expense of ratepaying citizens. I have urged officials to afford this matter the urgency it deserves,” said Mthethwa.
Responding to queries by Berea Mail on the matter, eThekwini Municipality’s Spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela, said: “To date, two notices were issued and forwarded to law enforcement.”
He added that the city had subsequently also changed the rate code on the property on 13 February.
Student accommodation survey feedback
THE Umbilo CPF has been overwhelmed by the response to a survery asking residents to help identify student residences in the area.
Chairperson Heather Roos said many student accommodation establishments were already operating and issues such as crime, noise, litter, and a general lack of respect for other residents living around them had arisen.
“Regarding crime, these students become targets for opportunistic criminals who then get to know areas where students will be walking up and down with cellphones on them, possibly carrying laptops, and they are then targeted. This then becomes areas that we as the CPF have to identify, and we have to bring this to the attention of Umbilo SAPS and Metro Police to possibly increase patrols,” said Roos.
She said regarding noise issues, the CPF would work with the universities and landlords as well as Metro Police. “We will also make students aware of the noise bylaws and their safety issues,” she said.
Roos said with regard to buildings that are being built illegally without plans or permission, overstepping building requirement bylaws, or new buildings popping up or being converted into student residences, the CPF would be working closely with ward councillor Mmabatho Tembe, who has been involved in working with officials from eThekwini on all these matters.
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