Community hungry for restaurant restoration
Another year has passed, and the old restaurant building still sticks out like a sore thumb amidst the well-kept Rhodes Park.
While the building is left unattended, thieves continue to strip the few remaining items of value, while vagrants vandalise what remains of the property.
The building, which is council-owned, has become a haven for criminals looking for their next victim.
The I Love Kensington Association (Ilka) has called on the council to disclose what is on the menu for this building and to provide a timeline.
Mrs Lornette Joseph, chairperson of Ilka, said the association has been unsuccessful in obtaining information on what the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) plans on doing with the building.
“The restaurant, in its current state, is a concern for us. It is over 80 years old and we do not want it demolished. Respect has to be given to heritage. We tried to get information from JCP but to no avail. We want to see what is stated in the proposed lease agreement. We want to know what arrangements council would make for the person or group willing to lease the property because we were considering it. We need to know if the building is going to be demolished or leased. If it is to be leased, we need to know where we can get the tender documents,” she said.
Ms Joseph said someone did survey the building for Ilka and association members were told it would cost about R900 000 to fix.
She said Ilka hoped to obtain a lease for the building because it could serve as a base for people who offer skills development training, people who help children with homework and a number of other services that are sorely needed in Kensington.
The building, over 80 years old according to Ilka, has been at the centre of controversy for at least a decade.
The last tenants left the premises years ago, apparently owing the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) thousands of Rands for services rendered. Since then, the building suffered neglect and fell into the hands of vandals.
Former ward 66 councillor, Ms Carol Lewin, threatened to ask the public protector to investigate the JPC’s handling of the building in 2009.
At the time, Mr Gerald Heine, who served on several local community organisations, blamed the JPC for the building’s deterioration. He said officials left it to fall into wreck and ruin and should have been held responsible for the costs of fixing the building.
However, instead of fixing the building at its own cost, JPC offered a lease agreement to interested parties on condition that the building be fixed at their cost. In 2010, Ms Lewin was informed that JPC concluded the lease and were finalising the agreement.
The building was let to a new lessee but was cancelled soon after. JPC cancelled the lease because of the company’s non-performance. There were steps, such as fixing the building, that the lessee had to take after the lease was signed, but it failed to do so, according to Mr Brian Mahlangu, from JPC.
In response to enquiries sent to JPC about Ms Joseph’s concerns, Mr Mahlangu said, “A request for proposals for the usage of the park as a community facility was issued. Tenders were advertised in major national newspapers in March. Bids were received and it is currently at the bid-evaluation stage. From there, it will go to the executive adjudication committee, who makes the award.”
Mr Mahlangu said the building is zoned as a multi-purpose facility for use by the community.
“It is envisaged that the winning bidder will likely enter into a development lease with JPC, which entails renovations, maintenance and improvements of existing structures. It is a lease for nine and a half years with rental estimated to be between R1 000 and R5 000 per month,” he said.
