The City of Johannesburg Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Development Planning Cllr Eunice Mgcina today led a multi-unit operation to demolish several illegally erected structures in Klipfontein near Midrand in Region E.
The demolished structures include a car wash, a vehicle repair workshop and a Church all of which were located at Klipfontein View and were operating illegally on Council-owned land. The council land in question is earmarked for a Wellness Centre which will include a clinic and the construction thereof is currently underway.
Some construction work has had to be stopped as a result of these illegal businesses that were encroaching and thereby impeding progress.
“We are here to send a clear message that this kind of lawlessness will not be tolerated. We are going to come after all those people who continue to either violate or disregard notices for them to comply with our building and zoning bylaws – all across the City.
“Today is a demonstration that we are not just issuing idle threats – we are going to follow through and we are going to deal decisively with those violating our laws,” said Cllr Mgcina.
MMC Mgcina added that the operation also marked the beginning of a City-wide blitz to demolish all structures that are not compliant with the City’s building regulations and proper zoning by-laws.
The City had previously served violation notices to the illegal occupiers which compelled them to demolish their illegal structures and they failed to comply. The demolished structures were also situated on top of municipal water and electrical lines thus inhibiting connection access and compromising the continuous provision of services to surrounding areas.
“We continue to issue violation notices to people, and they continue to ignore them. They take advantage because we are required by law to exhaust all available legal avenues and these processes take time.
“These lengthy legal processes also deplete our financial resources which could be used for other much-needed services in the City. However, we are determined to deal with transgressors and we are not going to back down,” she said.
Meanwhile, there are other 15 (residential) properties which have been illegally built on the same land and these are currently occupied. The process to deal with these houses is currently before the Johannesburg High Court and the City is confident that these structures will also be demolished soon.
Members of the community who have constructed illegal structures are encouraged to comply with the City’s by-laws. Failure to do so will result in the City pursuing legal action through the courts, and the costs associated with legal processes and demolition will be borne by the property owners in violation.
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