President Park Agricultural Holding resident, who requested to be identified only as Emma, said she had lived in the suburb for 23 years and could no longer remain silent while the area deteriorated.

Emma added that she had previously kept quiet about the daily struggles residents faced, but she now felt compelled to speak out. She was referring to the prolonged delays in demolishing illegal flat units.

“We have sewage running down our roads from illegal flat developments. This situation is so bad that it has previously been reported on by the Midrand Reporter [Disaster in the making, week ending 13 June].

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The owner has been in court multiple times, and yet nothing is done – this leaves us, as residents, with the impression that something improper may be happening behind the scenes,” said Emma.

The Southest Midrand Suburb Alliance (Semsa) said they had attempted to intervene and assist concerned residents two years ago but were unsuccessful.

“This property has ongoing illegal development and environmental pollution despite numerous complaints to planning authorities over multiple years. These should evidence our attempts to follow the city’s process and engage like responsible citizens. We, as Semsa, have escalated through our ward councillor and [various other authorities] and have not had a resolution,” said Semsa.

Following the publication of the article, the City of Johannesburg and various departments conducted an inspection blitz on June 18, where illegal construction activities were discovered.

During the inspection, about 600 flat units were found to be causing environmental infringements. These flats are located on Brand Road, an area zoned as agricultural holding, and have raised serious concerns. The issue dates back to 2020, when residents drafted a petition that was later submitted to the then-mayor.

On November 1, during the recent series of Community-Based Planning meetings, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) acknowledged concerns about the illegal construction of private social housing units.

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“The by-law directorate actively patrols the area to deter and minimise such illegal developments. To enhance enforcement, the JMPD will prioritise inspections at the identified site and collaborate with relevant city departments to address the issue comprehensively.”

In June, city spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane confirmed that the city had opted to take the owner of the illegally built President Park flats to court.
“The city is putting together a plan for an operation that will include various departments, including the Home Affairs Department, to deal with various infringements at the property,” he said.

The matter was expected to be heard in court in September. It remains unclear whether the hearing took place. Two months later, when Midrand Reporter contacted Modingoane for an update, he did not respond.

He was asked whether the court had issued any directives regarding previously ignored notices, imposed fines, or orders to cease building activities, and how far the city had progressed in coordinating a plan with its departments to address the infringements.

Modingoane was contacted again on November 26, and reminded on December 1 and 2, but no response was received.

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