By Neil Fraser
August 8, 2005
I REMEMBER commenting in a Citichat some years ago that working intimately on the urban regeneration process was akin to riding a roller coaster. The highs were constantly offset by lows that literally brought you back down to earth with a thump.
For a considerable time now, the roller coaster has been way up there as exciting new developments have been launched or older ones have come to fruition. However, the past week to 10 days, despite some notable wins such as the historic Women's Gaol re-launch on 2 August, have been really low. This time that low point has not even been stimulated by pictures of rampaging municipal workers trashing the city during their strike.
The cause of my generally uncharacteristic depression is, first, the murder of two men going about their lawful business in Hillbrow and, second, the apparent indifference with which the situation is being treated.
For some time now criminals have been hijacking buildings in areas such as Hillbrow. They move in to the residential buildings and, with guns in hand, take over its "running", namely the collection of rentals. Anyone who opposes them is likely to be disposed of.
According to press reports, the police are not particularly sympathetic to the complaints from the genuine owners. I know that meetings have been held with the police whose attitude is that this is a civil issue and not a criminal one. I know that letters have been written to them begging for help, with no result. So anarchy reigns and innocent people are now dead.
Here we have an owner who has been working for many years to regularize residential occupation in Hillbrow in a large number of buildings and who has had six of his buildings hijacked in this way. He has been able to regain control of four of them. However, at Park Mews, two of his staff who had been negotiating with the legal tenants, have been murdered, reputedly by the illegal occupiers.
Outrage
As if the murders were not tragic enough, there seems to be little evidence of the overwhelming outrage and swift action that such an event would attract in a "normal" society.
Last week I was watching the British news on television, when it covered the re-opening of the Piccadilly Line underground a month after the bombings in which so many lost their lives. The tube station and its surrounds, as well as all other tube stations in London, were swarming with police. The rest of the news was dominated by the work that the London police were undertaking to bring all suspects to book and to prevent a re-occurrence.
I note the case of a 16-year-old's death at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital after she gave birth as a result of alleged incompetence, and of missing files. The acting MEC for health has promised to "get to the bottom of this". Who is getting to the bottom of the rampant gangsterism in the inner city's residential buildings?
Has Park Mews been sealed off by the police? Is there a task force working day and night to bring the perpetrators to book?
According to press reports, the Region 8 communication's manager "condemned the illegal takeover and invasion of properties". Useful, that! The police advised that illegal occupation of buildings was not their responsibility and it must be dealt with by the municipality.
Then an "Inner City Task Force spokesperson" advised that all the City council could do was "offer advice", and it was up to the owners to report the illegal occupation of their properties to the police.
Property owners
Property owners, however, say that the police refuse to assist. The press report also pointed out that the council's utilities refused to disconnect water and electricity, leaving the criminals to collect money for services while the owners remained liable and had to pay.
Now two men are dead and the media are warned to stay away from the building; the owners receive the threat that "two deaths are not enough and there will be more". What is this, Mickey Mouse land?
I have never been one for talk shops or summits, which were the vogue in the 1990s. However, someone, possibly the MEC for community safety, needs to convene a high-level meeting between the police and the council where responsibilities and authorities are clearly set out. Through this owners, tenants and criminals can be made aware of the facts, and would-be investors can decide whether the problem is spinning out of control or not.
The City is planning a two-and-a-half day conference from Thursday, 18 to Saturday, 20 August on the Urban Development Zone (UDZ) tax incentive scheme. It has been described as "a unique opportunity for property owners, investors, planners, architects and other professionals to find out relevant information on how the UDZ scheme operates".
I suggest that the executive mayor, the MEC and the commissioner of police use this "unique opportunity" to brief the investment community on how the authorities plan to protect property rights and bring to book the scum who are prepared to murder innocent people to protect their illegal takings.
Neil
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