A provisional date for hearing the case against the infamous 10A property has been scheduled.
The City of Johannesburg is looking to address the 10A property issue which has bothered residents for the longest of times. Poppy Louw, City stakeholder manager, stated that the legal process will soon continue, thanks to the case now having a date set for it to be heard.
Number10A and other property are both owned by the same person and face the same legal challenges.
Louw said, “The case file has been referred for further litigation to be instituted, and processes have advanced because we received an indication from the appointed external attorneys representing the City that the matter has a provisional date for a hearing.”
The date selected for the hearing is 23 September and Louw confirmed that it will be on an unopposed motion roll.
The Westdene-Sophiatown Residents Association (WSRA) has been doing all it can to get the attention of the City on 10A. Earlier in the year, they were successful when Mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, visited the building to see for himself the gross living conditions.
WSRA said the building does not have running water or electricity and is known to be used as a hiding spot for criminals in the area.
Louw added that the building is still zoned for its original use. “Both properties are zoned Residential 1, as stipulated in terms of the Johannesburg Land Use Scheme of 2018. Furthermore, there are no records of any land use application submitted to date, though there was an attempt previously made in 2007 and the land use application was returned.”
Deputy director of Transaction Processing Johannes De Beer confirmed that the properties were imposed with penalties from 18 May 2018. Unfortunately, the last time a payment was made towards the account of the owner was way back in 2013. The City will, through the legal process, try to find a permanent solution.
This is a developing story.
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