ARMADALE COURT EVICTIONS

"We will continue to enforce city by-laws for the common good" - Joburg

Today (Wednesday 20 November) the City of Johannesburg evicted about 1800 residents of Armadale Court in Bree Street central Johannesburg because it is illegally occupied and unsafe.

The eviction comes after numerous attempts spanning over several months to have the owner of the building comply with council by-laws as the building amongst others contravened fire, health, town planning and building control by-laws. The owner of the building had started to comply with the law but tenants took over the building and this left council with no choice but to obtain a court order that was from the Johannesburg High Court.

The order was awarded on the 6 of November 2002. In terms of the order, occupants of this building were served notices to evacuate the building within 24 hours but these notices were ignored.

The City of Johannesburg would like to make it clear that it will not back-pedal on its responsibility to enforce the city's laws and thereby expose its residents to crime, health hazards and unsafe buildings which often result in tragic loss of lives.

Armadale Court is a 17-floor storey building, designed for office accommodation and is not suitable for residential purpose as it lacks basic amenities.

Even more, the building has a little over 450 rooms but it house a population of over 1800. It has one entrance, no proper fire escape routes, and lifts and is rounded by other high-rise buildings.

Furthermore, it has a Taxi rank at its back, the arterial roads to the east are main traffic carriers and this situation has potential for untold risk of life to road users, damage to vehicles and shops below.

All kinds of crime, including the continuous violation of by-laws, constitute obstacles towards making a "World Class African City" of Johannesburg. The Inner City, one of the crucial economic activity zones in the City, experience crime, especially violation of by-laws, which negates all the good intentions and plans of action deserving of a World Class City.

Activities such as by-law violations that turn residential buildings into slums, illegally trading in homes, running illegal night clubs, graffiti on properties, illegal connection of electricity and telephone lines, and environmental hazards, far from creating jobs, in fact destroys them and any of the associated prospects of future jobs.

Any current or proposed development becomes unsustainable if it is not underpinned by the consistent enforcement of appropriate by-laws. This is especially the case with the Inner City, which offers almost boundless economic potential.

ENDS.

For more information contact

Mbangwa Xaba
Tel: 407 7226
Fax: 403 3494
082 467 9230

Or visit our website www.joburg.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