MMC for Corporate and Shared Services
MMC for Corporate and Shared Services Kholofelo Morodi has announced that derelict buildings will be expropriated in Tshwane.
“What we are going to do is to identify derelict buildings, find out who they belong to, be they privately owned, or owned by the provincial, national or City of Tshwane and a technical committee will be set up to support us in taking the right decision regarding revamping of the said buildings,” she said.
She said some of the derelict buildings will be converted into either lowcost housing, normal social housing, student accommodation or economic purposes.
“Owners of derelict buildings will be contacted and our legal department will be contacting them to inform them that they owe us money in terms of rates and services and if they fail to pay up, we will go to the extent of expropriating the said buildings,” she said.
“We know that some of the hijacked buildings are owned by foreign nationals, and we will ascertain whether they are here legally or not and then taking appropriate steps,” she said.
She said by-law enforcement is underway regarding buildings like the Navy House in the Pretoria CBD and that the TMPD is in contact with the owners of such derelict buildings to see what can be done regarding them, and that all stakeholders will be invited to a meeting to map the way forward.
“If we don’t find owners of such derelict buildings then we will expropriate them as allowed by the law,” she said.
She appealed to residents not to live in hijacked buildings because they are a health hazard to them and are not safe to be inhabited by people.
“Residents who see hijacked buildings must notify the City of Tshwane and by April this year we shall have identified all such buildings and take appropriate measures,” she said.