City of Johannesburg Ward 67 proportional representative (PR) councillor, Joshua Apfel, has welcomed the shutting down of the FourtyFive Tavern in Yeoville saying it was long overdue.
The tavern, situated at 45 Minors Street in Yeoville, was apparently disturbing the peace in the neighbourhood, Apfel told the North Eastern Tribune on 23 April.
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It was problematic with loud music which he claims was played until the early hours of the morning.
Apfel said patrons were always heard screaming and shouting in the street as well as cars hooting at all hours of the night.
This obviously disturbed the sleep of nearby residents.
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“The concerned residents then lodged a petition with the Gauteng Liquor Board which promised to conduct an investigation.
“A petition to close down the tavern was sent to the City of Johannesburg. Meanwhile, as a PR councillor I put pressure on the Metro police to take action against the tavern for contravention of by-laws.”
On 8 April the tavern was closed after visits by the environmental health and development planning departments as well as emergency services.
During their visit, Apfel said the tavern was shut down due to the fact that the premises had no emergency exit or signage, no working fire extinguishers as well as overcrowding.
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“On 17 April, the tavern re-opened and disturbed the residents again.
“I escalated the problem to the MMC for Safety and Security, Michael Sun, and the Metro police went to the premises to investigate and interviewed concerned residents on Minors Street.”
The tavern has since been closed and City Power is understood to have disconnected the electricity and Apfel said peace and quiet have been restored to Minors Street.
Ward councillor Refiloe Mazibuko has also shared Apfel’s sentiments, saying she also welcomed this move and praised the community for ensuring that this tavern was finally closed down.
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“The community has been complaining about this notorious tavern and many others that are problematic in the Yeoville area,” she said.
“They drafted a petition and sent it to me and I also signed it because I agree with them that such taverns are closed including the many illegal churches in our area.”
She said they will be doing an oversight visit with the Metro police to ensure that such taverns are shut down indefinitely and allow people to live in peace and quiet in their homes.
Details: Refiloe Mazibuko 010 237 0050.
