February 26, 2003
By Jonews Reporter
In its ongoing campaign to rid the city of bad buildings, the council on Wednesday evacuated and shut down two more buildings in the inner city because they are "unfit for human habitation".
The City obtained court orders authorising the evictions two weeks ago, and, according to Mbangwa Xaba, spokesperson of the city, evacuation orders were served on the 132 families occupying the two buildings.
The two buildings, Olympia Building in Yeoville and Sunleigh Court in Braamfontein, were cordoned off by a large contingent of the police as the sheriff of the court arrived to execute the court orders.
One of the buildings, Sunleigh Court, is already condemned and, will "be demolished within the next two weeks", the council said in a statement. The council vowed to intensify its drive to eliminate structurally deficient buildings from the inner city, labeling them springboards of criminal activity. "The Inner City, one of the crucial economic activity zones in the city, experiences crime, especially the violation of by-laws, which negates all the good intentions and plans of action deserving of a World Class City," said Sol Cowan, councilor for the inner city.
According to Xaba, many of the buildings are derelict and pose a health and safety risk to their occupants.
