GALLERY: New student accommodation is underway

Alleged building constructions activities are taking place at an old tennis club on the corner of Cookham Road and Richmond Avenue in Auckland Park.

The activities follow the removal of vagrants from the old building which was later demolished to the ground.

It was on 28 September when a private security company undertook an ongoing operation to remove vagrants from the old tennis club.

The Bad Boyz Security company raided the building and removed about 15 homeless people. Security owner Dee de Klerk said they were given a mandate to clean up the place by a developer for student accommodation.

De Klerk said they found knives, passports, broken handbags and credit cards all over the buildings.

“We have handed everything we recovered to the local CPF,” said De Klerk.

He said the building was full of human sh*t and was a serious health risk.

“There were also huge rats,” he said.

De Klerk added that the area will be secured 24/7 to prevent vagrants from moving back to the site until the development starts.

“We will also put in solar lights soon,” he said.

The Brixton Police Station Commander Colonel Michelle Jones confirmed that all the vagrants were moved.

On 4 October the Auckland Park Resident’s Association Chairperson Bronwyn Law-Viljoen said the building has been demolished now.

She confirmed that a developer is planning to build student accommodation.

“The developer told me he followed all the right channels before evicting the people from the house, but that is something I can’t confirm,” said Law-Viljoen.

She also said that the developer told her the building construction application is still with the City Council.

Law-Viljoen further added that security guards are monitoring the area.

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