Council set to demolish all illegal buildings
Unsafe structures targeted
DEMOLITION orders for illegal buildings are going to be the order of the day in future, says City of Joburg member of the mayoral committee for development planning and urban management Funzela Ngobeni.
“We will be taking a hard stance against illegal structures or buildings by getting more demolition orders through the courts,” he said.
Last week, such an order was granted for a property in Cyrildene, forcing the owner to take down the illegal shop he had built in Derrick Avenue.
Ngobeni said the move would also include abandoned buildings that have become unsightly and unsafe, or were being used for criminal activities.
In terms of the national building regulations, no structure should be built and occupied without prior approval by the council, as that might result in death or injuries due to defective structures, he said.
“The legislation is aimed at protecting unsuspecting occupants from occupying unsafe and hazardous structures.
“The city is experiencing a large increase in illegal buildings, which will not be tolerated. As we seek to improve relations with developers and residents, discussions and information sharing will increase,” Ngobeni added.
The owners of the demolished properties must be commended for recognising the hazards of illegal structures and acting on that, he said, referring to the Cyrildene incident.
Yeoville residents have also been fighting a long, protracted battle with an illegal church in the residential area.
Frances Street residents have been trying to close a church which is in a house that has been illegally converted into a church. Additional outbuildings have been added to the property.
Tsepo Matubatuba, who is representing the neighbours, said the church was a menace to the community. It blasted music all day on Sundays, and from the afternoon till well into the night on some weekdays. Residents were allegedly threatened when they complained.
“At the beginning of September, we woke up to a really long horse and trailer parked on our street with both trailers full of bricks. I saw it manoeuvring onto the pavement with difficulty in order to get close to the gate of the church. Both trailers were offloaded by a crane, which dropped them in the yard.
“Since then, we don’t even see what is happening inside because the gate is kept under lock and key 24/7,” he said.
The city’s attorneys applied for a demolition order instructing the Winner Tabernacle Church to stop using the property as a place of worship and to reinstate the building to its original approved condition as a residential dwelling as per the approved building plans.
The church had until April 28 to do so but has not complied. It applied for a postponement, which was refused. And it continues to build. @annacox