DURBAN - HUNDREDS of people were removed from a derelict building, deemed to be harbouring criminals, in the Warwick Junction precinct on Sunday, as eThekwini Municipality ramped up efforts to clear out problematic buildings.
The building on Lancers Road was a disused warehouse. It was purchased by the then University of Natal in 1958, renovated and renamed Marian buildings, for “non-European students”. Decades later, it was used by the KZN Ambulance Service. In the last decade, criminals hijacked the building and set up shebeens and brothels inside. Lecture halls and offices were converted into rooms with makeshift partitions. The building was stripped of anything worth selling in scrapyards by vagrants and suspected drug addicts.
It had become an eyesore as litter from inside spilled on to the pavements.
Durban metro police swooped on the building and cleared people out for trespassing.
An illegal shebeen, which was said to be attracting criminals, was shut down. All the fittings and fixtures were removed by Durban Solid Waste.
A brothel owner wept as she left her four-room enterprise with tiles and ablution facilities.
People living in makeshift rooms walked out with their belongings as police secured the area and confiscated suspected looted items. A retail store ice cream fridge, freezers and crates of liquor were also confiscated.
Police estimated that more than a 1 000 people occupied the building.
In a report tabled before the eThekwini Municipality’s executive committee (exco) in December 2020, the human settlements and infrastructure committee said the building would be redeveloped for social housing.
The eThekwini human settlements unit recommended that the building be demolished. Exco approved the demolition. The unit asked for the approval of a budget of R4.5 million to fund the appointment of a social facilitator, perimeter fencing and construction of a temporary relocation area, from the Urban Settlement Development Grant and/or municipal funding. The property would be handed to a social housing institution for the construction of social housing.
Community leader Siyabonga Dhlomo, and a resident, said they had been liaising with city officials to shut down illicit activities within the building for some time. He said the shebeen was operating day and night, seven days a week and attracted the “wrong people”, which included criminals.
Dhlomo said the majority of those residing in the building were “good working-class people”, adding the place had become “too dirty”. He said criminals gave the building a bad reputation.
The municipality had removed piles of litter recently after Dhlomo wrote a letter to them.
“Sadly, there are SAPS members that, when you report somebody, as soon as you make a report, that person will come for you. We are trying to understand what is happening here and why adequate notices were not given.”
Dhlomo said the people removed did not have any place to go to. He said many working-class people looked for accommodation closer to their place of employment to avoid exorbitant transport costs.
“We are not sure who is collecting the rent. People did not know they were staying here illegally. They were misinformed. I called a meeting to inform them that the building does not belong to those collecting rent.”
Dhlomo said he was made aware that the building was earmarked for housing and was shown the plans, adding that the city had made them fill out forms for RDP homes.
“If you take people out now, where are they going to sleep? A week's notice would have allowed people to pack up their stuff and hire a bakkie. When we leave our items outside people will steal them.”
Durban metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad said the building was situated near important transport nodes. He said an unlicensed firearm was found on one of the residents.
“We enforced the trespassing on government property law. We were instructed to clean up crime and grime in the inner city, as per the strategy of the new leadership and an initiative by the deputy mayor Philani Mavundla. Criminal hideouts will be cleared out.”
Daily News