Derelict Greyville church an eyesore
A DILAPIDATED church at 90 Beatrice Street, Greyville, has raised questions by residents about why the municipality has not intervened to repair it.
The American Congregational Church, which has been derelict for four years, is in the spotlight again this week over residents’ issues that include:
Illegal fixing of cars outside the property. Dumping. Rodent infestation. Oil leaks on pavement.
Deteriorating church building that has not been used for four years.
Businessmen at the Durban Medical Centre next door believe the “structure poses a prejudicial and extreme fire risk for neighbouring properties”. They said the risks put pressure on businesses who wanted to maintain their existing insurance cover.
Ismail Vawda, one of the businessmen, said the city had not been of any help despite repeated correspondence sent to them since 2013.
“The only response we received from officials was that it was not their department and that the matter was being forwarded to the relevant department,” said Vawda.
Residents said the city needed to intervene – either demolish the structure or rebuild it to its original form.
“We offered to buy the property but the church would not budge,” added Vawda.
Another business owner, who did not want to be named, said the property posed health risks. She said it was time the “city took responsibility of derelict buildings that become a nuisance to residents in those areas”.
The church was erected by the Foreign Mission Board of the American Congregational Church in 1891 after purchas- ing the land from the city.
In 1937, a doll’s house-sized manse was built behind the church, and it has been occupied by the Reverend Bhek- isipho Khulekani Dludla, 87, for almost 50 years.
Dludla said this week that it was “private property and no one had the right to intervene”.