The public declared the Standerton Town Hall a safety hazard during a municipal meeting in May last year.

When the floor opened for discussion at the meeting, a resident, Robbert van Bultren, stated that the hall is not safe for public use.

The Standerton Advertiser found that the hall was severely damaged and filthy, with vagrants sleeping in the space.

Due to a lack of maintenance, the wooden floors of the hall have started to rot, meaning that significant movement in the area could spell disaster for residents attending events.

The roof of the hall has been severely damaged for nearly four years, with no action taking place.

According to Alberto Franco, Ward 8 councillor, the insurance company initially refused to accept the municipality’s claim to replace the roof due to the lack of maintenance of the hall before it collapsed.

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Furthermore, people have strewn waste all over the premises and areas around the hall, despite the MMC for Community Services and Safety, Mapaseka Molaba’s plea to keep the area clean.

The ablution facilities in the hall were dirty. Upon visiting the hall last week, we found the municipality had not addressed any of these issues.

The state of the town hall reflects negligence in the maintenance of municipal facilities. The community of Standerton is livid due to the deterioration of this once-proud structure.

The Lekwa Local Municipality was contacted for answers, but no comment was received at the time of going to print.