Pretoria - Neighbours have repeated the warning for people to be cautious near the crime-invested so-called White House in Sunnyside.
And as they spoke to the Pretoria News, a man attempted to grab a cellphone from a black and red CLA Mercedes-Benz that was parked in Gerard Moerdyk Street. However, the driver jumped out of his car and pulled out a firearm.
The man then ran off in the direction of the dilapidated building while the driver of the vehicle gave chase.
According to residents, this type of incident had become the norm in the area.
Nozipho Mabuza said everyone who visited the area was warned to be cautious when walking or visiting businesses close to the abandoned municipal building. She said although she had not lived in the area for long, she knew criminals who targeted them for cellphones often hid in the building.
“The police are not doing enough. The City is aware of this building, but nothing has been done to address the problem,” she added.
Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee said he had written to the City calling for the building to be condemned and demolished.
Abramjee said he joined the police on a night time integrated law enforcement operation in Sunnyside.
It entailed conducting stop searches and checking for adherence to municipal by-laws and visiting the notorious building.
He said what he saw in the building was beyond appalling, and it did not make sense that the City was dragging its feet on removing the blemish from the community.
“This White House must be closed immediately. We were shocked by what we saw. This is a serious safety and health risk and it’s a haven for criminals.”
Ward councillor Godfrey Mulaudzi said efforts to communicate with the City regarding the building since 2016 had not yielded any results.
Councillors in the area were simply told, over the years, that a developer had been appointed and it would be demolished soon, he said.
“This house is the source of the problem in Sunnyside. Every crime you can think of and social ill comes from that place and yet the City does nothing.”
Provincial SAPS commissioner Lieutenant-Genera Elias Mawela said the police were aware of the building, but operations were hampered by the lack of manpower.
“The local police only have so much manpower and with there being no lights in the building, it's difficult to perform operations in the dark.”
He said he believed the only way to deal with this was through an integrated approach. “So we hope the municipality comes on board eventually, so we can condemn this building, demolish it and relocate these people elsewhere.”
The property, known as Moth Building, is part of the Nelson Mandela Corridor Concession Agreement. The private group was thus responsible for its protection and development, the City said.
“The matter has now been referred to the relevant department for further action in light of the crime complaints received.
“We will also explore legal options to reclaim the property in order to release it to the market,” City spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said.