DA says squalid state-owned buildings in KZN are ‘havens of vice’

Numerous abandoned government-owned buildings in KwaZulu-Natal have become playgrounds for illegal activity. 

The condition of the dozens of dilapidated and stripped buildings was highlighted after the floods of April 2022, which left thousands homeless. 

Opposition parties such as the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) have pushed for the provincial government to refurbish some of the buildings to house displaced families instead of putting them in community halls for long periods of time. 

The DA recently visited some of the houses and buildings. The party believes the buildings are not suitable for habitation and pose a danger to the public. 

On Wednesday, the DA’s public works representative Sello Seitlholo, provincial spokesperson on public works Marlaine Nair and Central Durban constituency head Dianne Kohler Barnard visited the Excelsior Court building in Durban and “Howick’s havens of vice” in uMngeni.

Excelsior Court, which was owned by the department of public works, was previously occupied by the South African Police Services. It is now being stripped and is allegedly illegally rented out. 

The DA said there have been many discussions with the department of public works in the past 10 years to address the matter, but to no avail.

Seitlholo said the building was in an appalling state, with everything of value — particularly steel — having been stripped out. 

“This building is not fit for human living. We found one person sleeping in one of the rooms, which was filled with human faeces.”

He said it was the DA’s duty to bring such issues to the department’s attention. 

“Buildings like this are everywhere in the country. It seems the department has no idea where all their immovable assets are, which is why they are not taken care of, and there is no political will to see that illegal occupants are [removed],” Seitlholo said.

Janus Horn, a member of the Mayville community policing forum (CPF), said Excelsior Court was a problem because at some point more than 200 people moved in at once and it was up to the forum and the local police to evict them.

“Whenever people are spotted in the building, the first thing residents do is call the police or CPF, and it’s impossible for us to be able to ensure that the building is not invaded as we don’t have the resources.”

Horn said a lot of illegal activity took place in the Berea building, including stripping of cars and slaughtering of animals. 

Seitlholo and Nair later went to Howick where they visited three public works properties with councillor Janis Holmes.

The three properties include a house on Bell Street, a piece of land in Mevana township that has been turned into an informal settlement, and a building opposite the Howick magistrate’s court.

The provincial public works department said these properties belong to the national government.

Holmes said the two properties had been a haven for crime until the department placed a security guard at the house in Bell Street and removed roofing from the one opposite the magistrate’s court.

“There have been a lot of muggings on the roads near these properties. The house in Bell Street used to have overgrown grass that criminals used as their hideout spot. Even the police asked us to do something about this property due to the amount of crime in the area.”

Holmes said the municipality has written to the department regarding the use of properties opposite the court to expand the Howick taxi rank.

“Most of these properties are in a better state because of uMngeni municipality,” said Holmes.

The KwaZulu-Natal department of public works failed to answer questions by the time of publication. 

This article first appeared in The Witness.