11 January 2005 Press Release Kippies Closes its doors. The building housing Kippies International Jazz Club is deemed unsafe for continued use and will close its doors permanently. The building started showing serious structural defects in the last year, leading to an investigation by a structural engineer from the firm - Ndodana Consulting Engineers. The latter's report recommended two options, one to demolish part of the structure and rebuild the top structure. The second option was to demolish that structure all together as it was deemed unsafe for continued use. Rebuilding would cost the landlord in excess of R3 million for a building worth R1 million. At the core of the problem with the structure, is the continuing settling of the foundations that have manifested itself into structural cracks in the building. It was determined, after extensive geotechnical tests, that the foundation settlement trend is due to poor compacted ground that is carrying the building. This foundation settlement trend is set to continue at least another 700 mm. As a result, there is sufficient risk that the building may collapse should this foundation settlement continue, especially in the rainy season. The painful decision to close down Kippies was then taken with consultation with the current tenant, the legendary musician ­ Sipho Hotsstix Mabuse. As the landlord, the Johannesburg Property Company did offer alternative space for Kippies to relocate to but Mr. Mabuse declined. Newtown is being developed into a vibrant, mixed-use area with a unique character based on existing cultural facilities and the clustering of the Creative Industries. The development entails several improvements of the area, all aimed at making the area safe, accessible, habitable and generally attractive. Some of the recent developments include the Nelson Mandela Bridge, Metro Mall, Sci Bono Discovery Centre, Bus Factory, Moyo's at The Market and the new and improved Market Theatre. This cultural hub has been made accessible through the construction of the Nelson Mandela Bridge and associated M1 / Carr Street interchange. The establishment of a City Improvement District (CID), installation of CCTV cameras, upgrading of existing buildings and public open spaces have turned Newtown into a safe secure and attractive environment. The Newtown development is made possible through funding from Blue IQ, a Gauteng Provincial Government initiative and the City of Johannesburg. End. Compiled on behalf of the JDA by Tshepo Nkosi (Tel. 011. 688 7856 / 083 368 4412 / nkosit@jda.org.za) Nthatisi Modingoane Media Liaison Officer CITY OF JOHANNESBURG Tel: (011) 407 7354 Fax: 403 3494 Cell: 082 467 9228 E-mail: nthatisem@joburg.org.za For more information about this wonderful City of ours, please visit our website : www.joburg.org.za