The Tshwane metro’s Bad Buildings Mayoral Sub-Committee recently issued several notices and disconnected services in an operation west of Pretoria, targeting properties with illegally erected rental developments.

This follows a recent High Court order granting the municipality permission to demolish a large rental property in Proclamation Hill, built without metro approval.

Committee chairperson and MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Flora Monama, said the operation is part of ongoing efforts to enforce municipal by-laws, clamp down on illegal building activity and protect municipal infrastructure from unlawful water and electricity connections.

Monama insisted that the operation is not conducted with malice but is undertaken with human safety and by-law compliance at the forefront, as unregulated developments can lead to disaster.

“The operation, guided by the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000, is not aimed at punishing residents or property owners. Instead, it seeks to restore compliance, address unsafe building practices and ensure that property owners regularise developments in accordance with municipal by-laws and approved land use rights,” Monama said.

She said the metro inspected three properties during the last operation that were found to be in contravention of by-laws “through the erection of illegal structures, unauthorised utility connections and the failure to obtain approved building plans”.

Throughout the operation, the committee, alongside metro police and partnering stakeholders, uncovered multiple homes in the area, using illegally built rooms to charge rent from tenants.

In Christoffel Street, officials identified a property zoned as a single dwelling on which 14 rooms had been constructed without approved building plans.

The property owner was served with a building contravention notice, while water and electricity services were disconnected pending full compliance with municipal requirements.

In Pierneef Street, about 15–20 rental units were being operated at an estimated rental amount of R4 000 per unit.

During the inspection, officials discovered an illegal water connection, which was immediately disconnected and sealed.

On 30th Avenue, where illegal rental structures were found to be operating at about R3 800 per month. Officials again identified the absence of approved building plans, as well as an illegal electricity connection on the property.

Monama said the trend sparks concern for the municipality and encouraged residents looking to earn extra income this way to pursue it legally.

“The city is increasingly concerned by the growing trend of unlawful developments on land zoned strictly for residential use, particularly where multiple rental structures are erected without approval and connected illegally to municipal infrastructure.”

She said these developments are often unsafe and poorly constructed buildings. It also contributes to “significant revenue losses for the city through illegal water and electricity consumption”.

The MMC added that the metro will continue conducting compliance operations in the identified hotspot areas to ensure safety regulations and the rule of law are being adhered to.

“The city wishes to emphasise that it is not opposed to residents generating income through their properties. However, all development must comply with applicable municipal by-laws, zoning requirements and building regulations, and all municipal services consumed must be lawfully connected and paid for,” she said.

“The Bad Buildings Operation remains an important intervention in restoring law and order, strengthening by-law enforcement, improving revenue collection and protecting the integrity of municipal infrastructure across Tshwane,” Monama concluded.

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