Court Hotel opposite the Germiston Magistrate’s Court in the CBD is again in the spotlight.
Seemingly, this building is used for residential purposes.
Businesses and residents are concerned about the building’s state and questioned if it is safe for occupation.
The building is falling apart from the outside, with several broken windows and paint peeling off the walls.
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It was not the first time GCN visited the building.
Last year, the CoE visited the same building to tend to illegal electricity connections.
The CoE then disconnected the building and told the media it had cut the premise’s illegal connections more than once.
Mpho Sibiya, who works near the building, said it is a problem.
“The building looks unsafe. In the same street, you have the court and businesses, and when you come to the corner where the Court Hotel is situated, the eye-sore of a building jumps out.
“The CoE needs to do something about it,” said Sibiya
CBD businesses and employees have complained about the filth in front of the building and the stench of urine.
“How can people allow themselves to live in these conditions? This building does not even look safe. Something must be done,” said Sibiya.
GCN spoke to Clr Nomadlozi Nkosi, the MMC for City Planning and Economic Development, about what the city could do to resolve the concerns about this building.
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“The city will have to investigate the history of the building, and the findings will guide the next step. This building is not under the CoE’s jurisdiction,” said Nkosi.
“If a building is under the municipality’s jurisdiction, we can remove the illegal occupants and then check if it’s a building for residential or business. We also identify what repairs must be done,” said Nkosi.
She said if the building does not fall under the city’s jurisdiction, the CoE traces the owner and investigates why the building is in a poor state.
“The owner has to account to the city for why the building was left to deteriorate.
“This becomes a process because it is often difficult to trace the owner, which is the case with Court Hotel. We are still working towards tracing the owner.
“The city will have to follow due diligence to ensure we make informed decisions about the building,” said Nkosi
