Powerhouses to take legal action in Barry Hertzog Park debacle
"Thousands of students are resorting to sub-standard, illegal commune accommodation, which residents say is raising crime levels and reducing property values."
On February 17, AfriForum issued a media statement claiming Newcastle Municipality was ‘protecting’ illegal communal home owners in Barry Hertzog Park.
Although the municipality is yet to respond to numerous media enquiries regarding the matter, the Newcastle Advertiser obtained new evidence at the time of publication.
AfriForum slams Newcastle Municipality
“The shortage of student accommodation has reached crisis point in Barry Hertzog Park,” claimed Provincial Coordinator for AfriForum KwaZulu-Natal, Chris Fourie. “Thousands of students are resorting to sub-standard, illegal commune accommodation, which residents say is raising crime levels and reducing property values.”
A staggering increase in the conversion of houses to communes was noted over the past few years, as a result of an increase in the number of students enrolling at colleges.
Mr Fourie alleged the Newcastle Council showed little interest in resolving the matter.
“We are of the opinion the Council of the Newcastle Municipality is protecting the illegal commune owners,” claimed Mr Fourie. “The municipality has a by-law that deals specifically with home-based businesses, but they refuse to enforce it and prosecute the perpetrators. Mr Kebone Masange, the Municipal Manager also refuses to respond to our correspondence in this regard.”
Most of the communes allegedly transgress building, health, fire and safety by-laws. Mr Fourie claimed students were living in conditions of extreme squalor.
“It is clear some of the commune owners have no regard for the health and well-being of the students.”
AfriForum placed the municipality on terms recently, demanding a written response on the progress made in enforcing municipal by-laws.
“If the municipality fails to enforce its by-laws, we will approach the Pietermaritzburg High Court for recourse,” concluded Mr Fourie.
What’s new?
Shortly after publishing the above mentioned media statement on newcastleadvertiser.co.za, the municipality allegedly contacted Mr Fourie.
In an exclusive interview on February 18, Mr Fourie disclosed the contents of the letter received from Development Planning and Human Settlements SED, Nokuthla Thusi.
Ms Thusi confirmed the matter was previously reported to Council and in the response, Council conducted a series of site inspections on all the properties identified by Mr Fourie in his initial letter to the municipal manager.
Ms Thusi concluded the level of transgression witnessed by municipal officials during the inspections was ‘shocking’ and ‘horrendous’.
Furthermore, she claimed contravention letters were sent to the communal home owners on July 23, 2014, instructing them to report to the municipal office. She admitted the exercise yielded little success.
In conclusion, she claimed Council would proceed with the prosecution of communal home property owners.
What’s next?
Mayor Afzul Rehman was contacted directly to comment on AfriForum’s decision to intervene on February 9. No response was forthcoming at the time of going to print.
An enquiry dating back to November 7, 2014 is yet to yield response. Officials confirmed they had in fact responded to the enquiry and that the onus was on the Municipal Communications Department to forward the enquiry for publication.
The efficiency of said department was again hauled into the spotlight.
As the influential parties hope to find an amicable solution to a proverbial ‘can of worms’, residents cannot help but feel they are being left in the dark. However, losing hope is not an option.
A meeting between AfriForum and Newcastle Municipality was arranged for February 18 at 10am. The details thereof will be published in next week’s edition of the Newcastle Advertiser.
Will there be intervention for Barry Hertzog Park residents?
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