Department takes steps to rescue decaying building

The good news is that investors and members of the public who want to rescue the decaying building are welcome to apply for rental and use of the property.

The former police living quarters are now waiting to be snapped up by property renters. Both the SAPS and the legal owner of this property left it to decay and made it vulnerable to vandals and vagrants.

The Department of Public Works has launched a process of letting out the South Street state-owned building in a desperate bid to save the crumbling property.

The Advertiser recently ran a story which served to highlight the problems associated with the poor condition of the long-forgotten property, which forms part of the Boksburg SAPS detective branch.

Residents demanded to know why such a huge building, worth millions of rand, was being left empty and rotting in a city where thousands of people are desperate for places to live or do business.

READ STORY: Watch: Condition of building housing the SAPS a crying shame

Public works spokesperson Thami Mchunu said as part of the process of letting out surplus properties to interested investors and members of the public, a list of surplus properties will be advertised and made available before the end of the financial year.

Mchunu confirmed that the property on South Street was initially allocated to the SAPS for living quarters. The police, however, eventually handed the property back to the department.

A joint site inspection by officials from both departments was conducted at the time, and it was found that the property in question had already been vandalised and was illegally occupied.

Residents proposed that the state either sell the property or convert it into a youth community centre.

When asked by the Advertiser whether the department would consider selling the property to anyone who wanted to buy and renovate it, as proposed by some concerned residents, Mchunu said the department was not disposing of any state property, but was only considering letting them out.

“The department’s Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) has a primary mandate to optimise the use of state-owned properties and generation of revenue, job creation, empowerment of youth, women and physically disabled people, skills transfer and growth of economy.

“Permanent disposal of the state asset would not deliver the intended objectives of the PMTE.

“However, the department is willing to enter into long-term lease agreement to achieve the above-mentioned goals. Interested members of the public are welcome to apply,” said Mchunu.

Responding to questions around the poorly maintained portion of the building, which is still being used by the Boksburg SAPS detectives as their offices, Mchunu admitted that the property had been poorly maintained.

He pointed out, however, that the department had recently attended to the blocked sewer line.

He added that the SAPS was responsible for minor maintenance as current financial delegations allow them (the SAPS) to cater for painting, lighting and other minor repairs.

Metro to take action

Themba Gadebe, metro spokesperson, confirmed that the building’s owner was in violation of Section 12 of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of 1977.

Gadebe said the city would take action for the owner to repair or demolish the building.

“Inspection was conducted on September 3, and the allegations were confirmed regarding the state of the building.”

He also confirmed current legislation was sufficient to deal with the matter at hand.

There are dozens of other buildings around Boksburg that were once great but have been left to decay by their rightful owners.

Some are privately owned, while others are owned by the government.

The legal owner of this decaying property, the Department of Public Works, is looking for people or investors who want to rent this building and breathe new life into it. The building is in need of substantial work and it could be put to a number of commercial and residential uses.

Even the police officers who are using a portion of the property say they, too, are ashamed of the state of disrepair the state-owned building has fallen into, and that it has rendered the area a “dangerous” place in which to work.

The former police living quarters in South Street have seen better days. This situation has prompted the Department of Public Works to seek out people who wish to rent and transform the property and put it to a number of commercial or residential uses.

This non-operational asset, owned by the state, is now available for rent.

It appears that the problem is spreading beyond the former police buildings. The house surrounded by the Boksburg police buildings, corner Rissik and South streets, has also turned into an unsightly building.

The legal owner of this decaying property, the Department of Public Works, is offering members of the public the opportunity to turn it into homes or businesses.

The Department of Public Works is looking for people or investors who want to rent this decaying building and breathe new life into it. The building is in need of substantial work and could be put to a number of commercial and residential uses. Despite being in poor condition, it’s not up for sale.

The legal owner of this decaying property, the Department of Public Works, is looking for people or investors who want to rent it and breathe new life into it. The building, which is in need of substantial work, could be put to a number of commercial and residential uses.

Do you see your business, offices or home set here? Well, this may be possible because the Department of Public Works is looking for interested parties to transform the former police living quarters into commercial and residential spaces.