Calls for city to clean up Greyville property
Save Our Berea urges the municipality to remove vagrants from the former Natal Table Tennis Association building in Greyville.
THE shocking state of dilapidated building of the former Natal Table Tennis Association in Epsom Road, Greyville, of which the municipality is the legal owner, has members of the civic association, Save Our Berea calling on the city to clean it up.
According to Wayne Grundy, the building is a haven for vagrants and drug users, and is surrounded by filth.
“The building is full of people. I even saw one man who was naked and appeared to be mentally ill. The building needs boarding up. It is more than 60 years old, so it is listed, and is now owned by the Municipality. It would be nice to fix it up and turn it into an Ark like building for the destitute as it is quite central. The vacant site opposite this is also really horrible. This is a major artery into the City, what must tourists and investors think?” he asked.
According to founder member of Save Our Berea, Kevin Dunkley, what made matters worse was that the building and the vacant site at the intersection of Johannes Nkosi and Ingcuce Roads were owned by the City.
The Table Tennis Association was forced to leave the building in 2007 as a result of mounting maintenance, water and electricity bills.
According to head of communications, Tozi Mthethwa, legal action to secure evictions of the occupants in the Natal Table Tennis Association building was being pursued by eThekwini Municipality’s Legal Unit and work to seal parts of the building would be undertaken once the legal process had been finalised.”
She said the eradication of dilapidated buildings was part of the city’s ongoing urban renewal strategy. “In order to be Africa’s most caring and livable city in 2030, the city encourages all role-players in the property industry to look after their property. The visual appeal of the city’s landscape is influenced by the look and feel of its buildings. Dirty and poorly managed buildings give our city a bad appeal. We look at problematic buildings very seriously and assess each case individually,” she said.
She said the municipality encouraged residents to report dilapidated buildings so that they could be investigated. The city's investigation includes profiling the building, contacting owners, assessing the problem whether it is nuisance or if it poses a health or structural risk and investigating any suspected criminal activity.
The community is encouraged to report safety and security infringements to 031 361 0000. Any complaints regarding dilapidated buildings must be reported to 031 322 4760 for investigation.
