Melgisidek building still a hotbed for crime

Melgisidek, a long-abandoned apartment building on Annie Botha Avenue and Johan Heyns Street in Riviera continues to plague the community.

For years, the abandoned building has become a hotspot for various misdeeds, including prostitution and drug dealing.

Residents are also concerned that the building has led to an increase in crime in the area.

“The biggest problem is that the squatters and residents in the nearby neighbourhoods are starting to cause problems,” resident Riandi Appelgryn told Rekord.

“Some time ago there was a drug-related shooting in the park.

“It happened during the day when football players and families were there.”

Appelgryn said the situation was a deciding factor in her family’s decision to move elsewhere.

Dumping outside the building area is also an eyesore for many residents.

The metro has made efforts to clear the dumping sites in the past.

However, the area soon becomes littered with refuse soon after.

Mark Weston, from the Home Owners Association and resident, feels the situation has become hopeless and only worsens by the day.

“The residents are suffering the most,” he said.

“A bus stop around the corner from Melgisedek is now completely overrun by drug addicts.

“People make fires there and inject themselves with drugs.”

Weston has been arguing back and forth with the metro since 2016 to do something about the building.

Scrap metal in the area is also being stolen to erect informal buildings.

“When you drive past it’s just scary to see what goes on there,” added Weston.

“It has become a very dangerous place and I don’t know where we are going to end up.”

Melgisidek is a symptom of the growing homelessness problem in the Moot.

Councillor Mari Joubert said she and her community are becoming increasingly concerned.

“We are dealing with a humanitarian crisis here,” she said.

“More and more people are coming here and there’s no place for them to stay they, set up camps in areas like Melgisidek and Foley & Law.

“It doesn’t help to evict them because then they just move to another area.

“The metro needs to come up with a permanent solution to solve homelessness in our town.”

In 2021, the metro laid out an action plan for Melgisedek.

The action plan was divided into two phases.

The first phase was to ensure that the property is safe and that the metro takes control and manages the property as best as possible.

This phase is also to ensure that qualitative information is obtained which will also inform phase two of the plan.

Phase two is the execution phase for clearing the property and subsequent demolition of the buildings and securing the site.

However, these plans have not come to fruition.

Mashigo said that the metro is working in partnership with various NGOs to provide the homeless with shelters.

“The metro in partnership with NGOs has an existing number of shelters.

“The closest shelter in this regard is in Region 1, Pretoria North.

“It needs to be acknowledged that there is still a need for more shelters as the existing ones do not cater for the demand. The metro, in partnership with NGOs and the Gauteng social development department, is however working on establishing more shelters.”

He added that the health department has a substance abuse programme that they are developing with the help of the University of Pretoria.

When asked why there has been an increase in homelessness over the past few years, Mashigo said the pandemic and migration were determining factors.

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