New bid to end inner city building hijackings

19 April 2016

 

The City of Johannesburg is planning to establish municipal courts to curb the hijacking of buildings in the Johannesburg inner city and improve by-law enforcement to deal decisively with crime.

 

Speaking at an Integrated Development Plan (IDP) consultation meeting at the Southern Suburbs Recreation Centre in Rosettenville last night, Region F Director Irene Mafune said crime, the hijacking of buildings and a lack of by-law enforcement were some of the biggest “weaknesses” in the City.

“We want to tighten that up by setting up fully functional municipal courts to swiftly administer justice,” Mafune said.

She was responding to concerns by residents that building inspectors were not doing their job and by-law enforcement was lacking in Region F. The region consists of areas such as the Joburg CBD, Springfield, Turffontein, Jeppestown, Bezuidenhout Valley, Bellavista, Mulbarton, Rosettenville and Doornfontein. Mafune urged residents not to take the law into their own hands to settle disputes.
She said the region had enlisted the help of the Hawks, the elite crime-fighting unit, to investigate the hijacking of buildings in the inner city. She said, as a result of the partnership, there had been steady progress in returning hijacked buildings to their rightful owners.

She told residents that some of the mega projects being undertaken in Region F included the R340-million upgrading and building of the Jack Mincer and Kazerne taxi ranks for local and long-distance commuters, the South Hills mixed housing development project and a R72-million transitional housing project in Moffat View to cater for displaced families.

Resident Andrew Barker urged the City to “seriously consider” splitting up the region because more resources were being poured into the inner city at the expense of outlying areas. He complained that the proposed rate increase was excessive and that the City needed to pay more attention to water supply issues if it desired to be a world-class African city.

Ward 57 resident Mbongeni Dlazi said churches and taverns were mushrooming in the area because the City was failing to police by-law transgressions.

“There’s illegal dumping everywhere. Churches and taverns operate freely. Who issued them with licences?”

Another resident, Nkululeko Buthelezi, complained that Region F did not have enough clinics, halls and parks.

“Metrobus drivers now decide on which route to take for the day, leaving commuters stranded. The buses are also too old and are driven with their engines open, which presents a health and safety hazard.”

Bellavista resident Louise Human backed Buthelezi on alleged the erratic Metrobus schedule and urged the City to invest in new buses. She also complained that locals were not benefiting from Jozi@Work as work packages were awarded to non-residents.

Councillor Cathy Seefort, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Corporate and Shared Services, who was standing in for Member of the Mayoral Committee for Development Planning and Region F Councillor Roslynn Greeff, urged residents to attend the IDP Stakeholder Summit in Kliptown on Saturday April 23 to further articulate their wishes.