Concern over illegal structures in Rensburg
Rensburg residents have voiced their concern at the burgeoning number of building transgressions in their suburbs, such as the construction of a so-called motor vehicle garage on the corner of Cilliers and AG Visser Street, which in the end turned out to be a spaza shop operated by a foreign national.
“Spaza shops in town are often (and in most cases) operated by foreign nationals who sell a variety of items. They do not pay taxes and are not registered for VAT – which means they don’t contribute to our country’s economy. As a result, legal, law abiding shop owners who employ dozens of locals, suffer greatly because of this illegal trading,” a resident told HERAUT.
Property owners are also concerned that illegal structures in residential areas are lowering the value of their properties.
According to the Building Standards Act, any plans and specifications by a property owner which involves the erecting of buildings and/or structures must be approved by the local authority beforehand. This approval process involves a comprehensive inspection of the building plans by the local authority’s building control officer in order to determine if all the major and essential requirements, laws and regulations have been complied with.
Municipal by-laws are there for a reason and residents need to adhere to them in order to contribute to the progression of a town.
In general, illegal building/structures and/or land use not only affect property owners in the area, but they have a significant effect on the town’s infrastructure.
HERAUT has meanwhile learned that the building plans for this specific structure in Rensburg had been approved by Lesedi Local Municipality (LLM) for the construction of a motor vehicle garage, yet it is not been utilised for the purposes set out in the original building plans, so we liaised with Katleho Seaga (LLM spokesperson) to ascertain whether the required processes have been followed and if the necessary approvals were obtained.
In response, Seaga said the property on the corner of Loveday and AG Visser Street is not an illegal structure as it is zoned as a business site in terms of the Lesedi Town Planning Scheme.
“With regard to the property on the corner of Cilliers and AG Visser Street, an application for rezoning from a residential to business site was submitted. An advert was placed by LLM in the Star Newspaper (29 July) and also on-site.
The application was circulated and no objections were received,” he concluded.
HERAUT questioned whether the advertisement had also been published in a local newspaper, as many if not most residents, do not read the Star, but we still await an answer from Seaga.
Residents who wish to report illegal buildings/structures in the Lesedi municipal area can phone 0800 118000 or 016 330 0400.
