Durban - Raids on the inner city’s “bad buildings” would continue to ensure that the municipality did not lose control, and create no-go areas like Hillbrow in Johannesburg.
Hoosen Moolla, head of the Inner City eThekwini Regeneration and Urban Management Programme (iTrump), said this as the city’s special task team co-ordinated a crackdown on eight problem buildings recently. The team consisted of various municipal departments including city architects, electricity, Metro Police and the SAPS.
Ana Capri, a 10-storey building with 56 flats, was first raided. The city won a high-court order to evict the tenants and for the owners to revamp the building. Moolla said although judgment has been passed it did not stop city officials from inspecting it.
“This is one of three bad buildings turning into better buildings. The others are in Carlisle and St George’s streets.”
At Ana Capri, most of the windows were broken and some of the flats were vandalised and empty. This will be the last Christmas at the block for the families. Everyone thought to be suspicious was searched: even their shoes were removed to check for any illegal items like drugs.
Officials checked for immigration documentation as well as illegal electricity and water connections.
All the buildings were fined R1000 for contravention of the city by-laws.
Wingfield building on Diakonia Street has taken serious action against any transgressors by placing notices warning prospective tenants to submit residence permits and ID documents. A warning at the door said people with expired paperwork would be barred from entering.
Moolla said that was the impact and results of the continuous raids.
“The reason we do these raids is because of the negative impact these buildings have in the community. We warn property owners to take responsibility to maintain their buildings or we will hit them financially with penalties,” Moolla said.
Accommodation is a big money spinner which was proven by the three-storey Abyssinia daily and student accommodation in Dr Pixley KaSeme (West) Street.
More than 40 rooms were rented at a cost of R120 a day from Monday to Thursday and weekends at R150 a day.
The rooms consisted of an open plan room with a toilet and bathroom and small sink in the corner. These were better than the original block next door where rooms cost R2 200 a month. Many families divided the rooms with curtains to accommodate a lounge and sleeping area.
They share a communal block of four toilets and four showers on each floor. The toilets were clean but a woman complained that the doors were broken.
In Saville Street, a building also had an entrance from Dr Pixley KaSeme Street.
Moolla explained it contained residential rooms and businesses like salons for about R1 700 a month. The toilets and bathrooms were in a poor state.
Three buildings in Bertha Mkhize (Victoria) Street were also found to be in a dreadful condition.
The rooms were crammed together with weak partitions that were falling apart.
The first building visited at the corner of Fishmarket Street had 14 rooms at R1 500 a month.The building did not have an electrical compliance certificate.
Damjee, a seven-floor building, was one of the worst buildings in the city, Moolla said.
Cockroaches
Tenant Andiswa Tswtsa said cockroaches and rats scurry about and the partitioned walls were collapsing.
The building was a former factory that had been converted into a maze of one-room flats.
Thirty or more people share a bathroom and two toilets.
Most of the buildings investigated had prepaid electricity and water meters for each room. Moolla said this was a sign of improvement because it prevented owners from falling into debt with unpaid bills.
Tswtsa said the owner would not want to live in such conditions.
“We don’t have a bathroom. We have to wipe ourselves in the room with a dish of water.
“The rent is increasing but the conditions are worsening. I have to sew clothes to earn a living; that is why I cannot afford to live in a place of luxury.
“Everyone shares these cubicles with four people to cover the rental,” Tswta said.
Other buildings in Morningside were also raided and six people were arrested for not having the proper residency documentation.
Four were arrested for drug possession.