Metro shuts down illegal parking lot

The Tshwane Metro Bad Buildings Committee recently closed down an illegal parking facility on Sisulu Street, and will hand it over to the Mamelodi Local and Long-Distance Taxi Association (Malldta).

MMC for Corporate and Shared Services and chairperson of the committee Cllr Kholofelo Morodi said the site on 346 Sisulu Street was notorious and the move was part of the metro’s efforts to reclaim the city.

“This intervention is part of our ongoing commitment to reclaim and repurpose problematic sites across Tshwane for the benefit of our communities. By restoring these spaces to lawful use, we are not only improving safety but also creating opportunities for legitimate economic activity,” Morodi said.

At 05:30, Morodi, MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning Cllr Sarah Mabotsa, MMC for Environmental and Agriculture Management Obakeng Ramabodu and Community Safety MMC, Hannes Coetzee, alongside supporting officials and the TMPD removed illegally parked vehicles from the property on April 29.

Malldta representatives were in attendance as well.

The vehicles were removed in the presence of the so-called owner, who did not have a leasing agreement with the city.

Morodi appealed to inner city residents to continue reporting bad and illegal buildings to the metro for the committee to quickly act on them.

“The Bad Buildings Committee continues to work closely with law enforcement, taxi associations, and other stakeholders to ensure that all buildings and sites within the city comply with by-laws and regulations. Our approach is firm: illegal operations will not be tolerated,” he said.

Malldta chairperson and liaison officer of the Tshwane General National Taxi Association, Stemmer Monageng, said he was excited about the handover and hopeful that the move will lead to the betterment of the taxi industry throughout the metro and not just in Mamelodi or the CBD.

Mabotsa said the lot was occupied for 20 years before their intervention and that “the clean-up” was long overdue.

“Enforcing our bylaws means complying with the law and allowing our residents and businesses to occupy and utilise city-owned properties in a legal and compliant manner through the correct application processes. No more hijacking properties by illegal landlords,” Mabotsa said.

While removing the vehicles and trash from the lot, Ramabodu emphasised the need to keep the city clean, saying the metro will not compromise.

“The plan is to have a clean city, we are not going to compromise on that. We know it’s not going to be easy, but that is what we’re doing. Our teams are here and we want to say to the residents of Tshwane that anyone who has hijacked the buildings of this city, the land of this city, must hand [them] over to the municipality, or else we will come and confiscate or reclaim what belongs to the city.”

Ramabodu said they want to appeal to those wishing to make use of the metro’s land to approach the city as they want to maintain the cleanliness and order of the city.

Watch here:

Bright and early, the Bad Buildings Committee has shut down this area that has been historically used as parking at 346 Sisulu Street.

We’ve handed over the site to MALLDTA Taxi Association who will use this facility for Taxis.@CityTshwane

I want to urge all residents,… pic.twitter.com/Ut5Gpelopz

— Kholofelo Morodi (@kholofeloMorodi) April 30, 2025

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