PINETOWN’s ‘drug haven’, the Park Lane Flats, was cleared out on Wednesday, 11 February.
A security company, One Stop Security, was assisted by Metro Police and SAPS to evict the occupants after the owner of the property was granted an eviction order in the Durban High Court.
The building is known for its criminal activity, such as the sale of drugs, prostitution and residents of the building being linked to robberies taking place within the central business district.
According to Deon Johnston of One Stop Security, there were more than 200 people living in the dilapidated, 20-unit building. The building was bought by the current owner five years ago, who has been trying since then to evict these illegal occupants who were apparently all foreigners, either Nigerian or Zimbabwean.
Two years ago the new owner cut off the electricity and water supply to the building in the hope that they would leave the premises, but the occupants continued to live under less than sanitary conditions.
Rubbish, used condoms, crack cocaine bottle necks and other drug paraphernalia were littered throughout the building. Urine was flowing down the stairs, and mattresses occupied every spare corner of the rooms. The conditions were thoroughly unhygienic, the rooms reeking of sewage, smoke and rot.
Johnston said 15 men from his security company, with assistance from the SAPS, evicted the illegal residents from the building. “My men removed some of their belongings, such as broken and torn furniture, mattresses and other items to the pavements and locked the gates to the building. One of the entrances will be bricked up later today, and I will have guards stationed outside the hotel tonight,” said Johnston.
Shopkeepers who had rented space on the building’s ground floor have until 8am tomorrow to vacate the premises.
Johnston thanked Col Krish Pillay from the SAPS and members of the Pinetown SAPS bike unit, W/O Dion Venter, Const Matt van Rensburg and W/O Bernard Fayers, for their assistance.
It is unclear what the owner plans to do with the building at this stage, but updates will follow when information becomes available.
