Pretoria - The Tshwane municipality on Monday handed title deeds to 126 traders operating in Pretoria’s turbulent inner city’s Marabastad section, many of whom have been here since the apartheid years but were denied formal ownership.
“Marabastad is part of the broader inner city and there is a lot of work we are doing to re-invigorate the Tshwane inner city. Historically, Marabastad is a centre of commerce and trade - during its glory days,” said Tshwane municipality’s member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for economic development and planning Subesh Pillay.
He said the granting of title deeds documents to the land and building owners enabled the business people to get funds from financial institutions for investment into the area.
“When we start doing renovations, it creates work in the construction sector and as people expand their businesses there are also work opportunities. There is big demand for student accommodation in the city, these business people will now see how we can build student accommodation given that they have the land,” said Pillay.
“Creating jobs is paramount but it is important that the economy must grow first for jobs to be created in that economy. The title deeds handover is exactly to do that. These people can now get bonds from banks and in that way it will have a direct impact on the economy of Marabastad and the city.”
Marabastad is shunned by many Pretoria residents due to widespread theft, muggings and drug abuse and trade. Several buildings in the area are deserted and, despite a Tshwane metro police presence, drug users seem undeterred.
Vehicles swarm the narrow roads with private vehicle drivers competing for road space with minibus taxi drivers. On Monday morning, people were seen urinating in open spaces.
Pillay conceded that criminality had taken root in the area.
“Certain crimes are a function of the urban environment. If the place is dirty, dark at night and has lots of shoddy places - you are going to attract crime. Part of our intervention is to re-organise this urban environment to make sure that the streets are clean, robots working, there is demarcated street lights and so forth,” said Pillay.
“There is also organised crime which needs proper police investigation. There is also the issue of unemployment. Part of the crime problem is because people don’t have anything to do and find themselves graduating as criminals. If we create opportunities for young people, give them the ability to be job-seekers that will deal with the social crime.”
Hawker Florence NNkambule-Khumalo, 55, said criminals had taken over the once tony business precinct.
“This is South Africa’s Soddom and Gommorah and we are living in it. Police officers in this area are doing nothing else besides hunting for foreigners and demand bribes. All other policing work has been relegated. We don’t feel safe anymore,” said the mother of seven.
“No matter what the city tells you, they can’t take back the streets of Marabastad. How can they when every police officer is hunting for bribes from immigrants?”
Ahmed Patel, who runs a wholesale in Marabastad said he was positive about the prospects of turning around the infamous area. He was one of the business people who received title deeds from Tshwane on Monday.
“There is quite a bit of drugs and crime here. I think the ANC is going to resolve our problems so that it can be safe for people. We used to have a lot of customers coming but because of the thieves and drugs, people are no longer coming to buy,” said Patel.
“There are a lot of crooks here. As businesspeople we had to organise special security to look after our shops. They also break into cars.”
Hordes of young people, some smoking drugs were roaming the streets. Several informal businesses have also mushroomed along the streets.
Dr Murthi Sooboo, of the Marabastad Development Forum which led the identification of credible land claimants, said there were other major problems including traffic management, illegal trade and the rampant crime in the area.
“Those problems affect people who frequent this area as commuters, workers and businesspeople,” he said.
ANA