Carlo Petersen
THE White House has fallen.
A cloud of demolition dust and a pile of broken bricks and rubble was all that remained of the council-owned problem building yesterday.
The derelict building had become a “crime haven” and a bone of contention for Hout Bay residents since 2013.
Continuous robberies and the recent murders of Nchikala Ngoy, 27, Monezi Menziwa, 17, Zuko Roji, 21, and Kwekwe Ngetu, 17, in the area have left residents in fear.
All four murders had happened near the house, and two weeks ago, a group of residents set the house alight, causing the roof to collapse.
Following a decision by Full Council on Wednesday to demolish the building, five officials from Transport for Cape Town (TCT), the City’s transport authority, moved on to the site yesterday morning with a digger-loader machine to rip the building apart.
Hout Bay Civic Association secretary Roscoe Jacobs said the City was forced by the community to act after four years of failing to do so.
“Recently, a girl was raped and a young man killed in that area, and we’ve had over 20 muggings along the main road near this building.
“City officials have blood on their hands. It takes four murders and a rape – then the City acts.
“It must be known that the community pressured it to act, not because it was a caring City.”
The building had initially been used as a standby house for operational purposes by TCT.
Mayoral committee member for TCT Brett Herron said the process to demolish the building had commenced “long before the recent media attention”.
“I regret that it has taken so long to reach this point, but it must be noted that the City is compelled to follow due processes where City-owned property is at stake – whether for refurbishment, demolition or sale.
“I also want to stress the fact that we will all have to work together to ensure that the land is not illegally occupied after the rubble has been removed.
“Our residents must immediately report any illegal activities to the SAPS and the City,” Herron said. CPF chairperson JJ de Villiers also encouraged the community to come together to fight crime.
“There’s been lots of segregation; between the residents, between the community organisations and between police and the CPF.
“It’s time now to work together to fight crime.
“We all want to live in a safe environment, so it’s important for us all to be on the same page when fighting crime. We must stand together.
“Police are doing an unbelievable job with 57 officers. When one looks at the ratio, this area should have at least 200 cops,” he said.”
The Hout Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association was not available for comment yesterday.