Despite promises by the provincial government to demolish an abandoned building next to Goudrand Pre-Primary in Boksburg North, it remains an eyesore and a crime hotspot.
The building, which is the old Martin School, is on the corner of Eighth Street and Fifth Avenue and has been of grave concern to residents, who believe the homeless living there are responsible for crimes committed in the area.
After receiving numerous complaints from concerned community members, the Boksburg Advertiser again visited the property last week, this time going inside for a closer look under the protection of CPF and Legendary Guardians Protection Services members.
Apart from the stench and rubble outside the property, it is clear that the building is falling apart and is on the brink of collapse.
To add to the problem, it seems the people living inside the building are selling the bricks.
Seen among the rubbish were a knife, drugs, and needles, and inside the building, Boksburg Advertiser saw at least six people.
One vagrant who calls the building home, Dylan Peterson (28), said he ended up there a year ago.
“I had to leave my home in Reiger Park due to a family drama. I have nowhere else to go,” said Peterson, who added that he is afraid of living in the horrific conditions and often gets chased away by law enforcement.
On the accusations of the occupants’ involvement in crime in the area, Peterson said he survives by doing piece jobs.
Crime
Boksburg North CPF chairperson Mark Gilpin described the building as one of the worst crime hotspots in the area.
“Criminals bring their stolen loot here at night. The place is a health hazard. The quicker they get rid of the building, the better it will be for the community,” he said.
Legendary Guardians Exclusive Protection operational managers Iwan Muller and Jonathan Leigh Maier said the building is a popular criminal hideout.
“Crimes such as street robberies and the theft of cable, cameras, and streetlights will decrease if this building is demolished. We have found stolen goods here in the past.
“In an attempt to sort out the problem, we have increased visibility and brought the police here, but the vagrants just return,” he added.
Boksburg North SAPS station commander Colonel Mack Mngomezulu said officers regularly conduct searches in the building to improve safety in the area.
“We can only make arrests if we find the people in possession of an illegal item.”
Bricks
A resident living nearby, Zach Kampu, also believes the solution is to bring the building down.
According to him, that would put an end to petty crimes.
He said the vagrants sell the bricks for as cheap as R1.
Two other community members, who wished to remain anonymous, said they live in fear and cannot even put out their bins because they get stolen.
“My son was recently stabbed in a home invasion. We cannot carry on like this. The building must be demolished,” said one resident.
Another resident said the electric fence and beams were stolen from her property recently.
Laerskool Goudrand principal Gert Botes said the building remains an issue for the school.
“Despite the crime, we fear the building might collapse onto our classrooms.”
He previously explained that the vandalised building also poses a danger to their learners because they have to walk past it to get to school.
Heritage site
Boksburg Advertiser reported last July that the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) planned to demolish the building.
Alfred Nhlapo, the DID acting spokesperson, said at the time that a recent inspection of the property revealed vagrants illegally occupying it.
“The property has been transferred to the Gauteng provincial government,” said Nhlapo.
“Our immediate plan is to demolish the structure. We do not have records that the department planned to turn the building into a heritage site.”
The Advertiser requested an update on the situation from DID but had received none at the time of publication.
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