FOLLOWING months of interventions by the Department of Public Works, the government has reclaimed the troublesome Excelsior Court which had become a nightmare and an eyesore for the residents of Berea.

Initially used to house members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), the building was eventually abandoned, left open to allegedly house criminal elements and posing a danger to the community. After much fighting to reclaim the building, the Minister of Public Works, Dean Macpherson, confirmed that the building is now back in their custody.

Also Read: Illegal residents evicted as Excelsior Court handed over to Public Works Department

“I was so happy that we could take back the Excelsior Court in Berea which was completely overrun and invaded. They had even stolen the lifts from the building – I don’t even know how that was possible.

“The building was causing a massive problem for the community. When we went in there, we secured the building, and we have completely taken it back. I got a wonderful message from an elderly lady who lived in the area and was grateful for the intervention. She said that for 10 years, she was scared to walk around the neighbourhood because it was too dangerous and criminals were in and out of that building. That is what we want to do in every centre, and those buildings that we do not need but are occupied, let us see what we can do, but we must step in and take back the buildings,” said the minister.

He said that out of the 88 000 properties owned by the government throughout the country, 380 have been hijacked by illegal occupants.

“We are in a public infrastructure crisis in South Africa, and we are determined to work with local government to rectify that because the state cannot manage all of the 88 000, and that is unnecessary,” added Macpherson.

Also Read: MEC rolls up sleeves to reclaim hijacked buildings in Point

Member of Parliament and Democratic Alliance Central Durban constituency head, Dianne Kohler Barnard, said that the party has been fighting to have Excelsior Court reclaimed since 2013.

In August, she said, “We now have a proactive Public Works Minister who immediately arrived, inspected the building and gave the community assurances that the Excelsior Court building would be cleared of invaders, secured, guarded and have its future determined. The ongoing loud banging and stripping of materials from the building by the homeless had got to the point where the community pooled funds to brick off the building’s entrance. Today, the building is a slum building. Drugs are sold openly despite sporadic police raids. In 2022, we reported the claims that individuals linked to various police members were renting out the flats.”

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