Mall eyesore demolished

Unsightly and vacant buildings have been demolished in the old Brakpan Mall.
This will come as a relief to residents and business owners in the area who were concerned about vandals and thieves wrecking and stripping vacant shops.
Riaan van Zyl, the owner of one of the shops still operational in the mall, welcomed the action taken.
“It has reduced crime in the area. We have to, however, still clean up in front of the shop daily,” said van Zyl.
His biggest concern was the clock in the mall that is being stripped.
“It is just a matter of time before the clock will be stripped completely,” he added.
The destruction of the mall was detailed in the April 16 edition of the Herald, Vacant shops stripped bare.
Once the pride of the Brakpan CBD, the mall, with its landmark clock, used to feature beautiful flower beds and fountains.

Also read: Thieves plunder shops at old mall
Families could shop, grab something to eat at one of the restaurants or enjoy a performance at the amphitheatre.
Those days are long gone and the mall has in recent years fallen into a poor state of disrepair.
Following complaints from concerned residents and businesses in the vicinity, the Herald visited the mall in April and found men hard at work removing anything of value from vacant buildings.
They brazenly continued with their work under the gaze of Herald reporters.
Bricks, ceiling boards, tiles, wood, wires and any metal used in the construction of the shops were removed.
While some of the shops were still in the process of being stripped, others were already empty shells.
It is suspected the men were selling the salvaged items.
There was also evidence that thieves were attempting to strip the clock of its metal components.
The actions of the thieves and vandals also raised safety concerns and there were fears the buildings may collapse.
This was a reality in 2018 when a roof at the mall collapsed and two people were injured.
Following this incident, the kiosks at the mall, which had become a haven for drug users and vagrants, were demolished.
In response to the article, the City of Ekurhuleni stated the Brakpan business community and local chamber of commerce should work with the municipality to develop a revitalisation plan for the Brakpan CBD.
City spokesperson Zweli Dlamini told the Herald at the time the mall consists of multiple business erven, which are privately owned.
“The mall as well as other businesses within the Brakpan CBD experienced a steady decline in economic sustainability over the last 10 years,” he said.
“Many businesses have closed resulting, in vacant property prone to vandalism by vagrants and opportunists.
“While the property is privately owned, Dlamini explained the municipality’s building division and city planning departments will engage the owners of the property to ensure they comply with prevailing building and planning legislation.
Failure to comply will lead to corrective measures being implemented.
“The owners of the property have a responsibility to report any illegal activity on their property to the SAPS and institute their own security measures to protect their property,” said Dlamini.
Regarding attempts to strip the landmark clock in the mall of its metal, Dlamini stated the matter has been forwarded to the City’s facilities management division to investigate the damage to the clock to salvage the structure.
Additional information was requested from the City on May 14 and again on May 24, but no response has been received.