The Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Development Planning in the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Eunice Mgcina, led a multi-unit operation to demolish several illegally erected structures in Klipfontein near Midrand in Region E this week. The demolished structures include a car wash, a vehicle repair workshop and a church in Klipfontein View.

They were operating illegally on council-owned land. The land is earmarked for a wellness centre that will include a clinic and the construction thereof is currently underway.

Some construction work has had to be stopped due to these illegal businesses that were encroaching and thereby impeding progress.

“We are here to send a clear message that this kind of lawlessness will not be tolerated. We are going to come after all those people who continue to either violate or disregard notices for them to comply with our building and zoning bylaws – all across the City.

“Today is a demonstration that we are not just issuing idle threats – we are going to follow through and we are going to deal decisively with those violating our laws,” said Cllr Mgcina.

She added that the operation also marked the beginning of a city-wide blitz to demolish all structures that are not compliant with the City’s building regulations and proper zoning by-laws.

The City had previously served violation notices to the illegal occupiers which compelled them to demolish their illegal structures and they failed to comply. The demolished structures were also situated on top of municipal water and electrical lines thus inhibiting connection access and compromising the continuous provision of services to surrounding areas.

“We continue to issue violation notices to people, and they continue to ignore them. They take advantage because we are required by law to exhaust all available legal avenues and these processes take time.

“These lengthy legal processes also deplete our financial resources which could be used for other much-needed services in the City. However, we are determined to deal with transgressors, and we are not going to back down,” she said.

Meanwhile, other 15 (residential) properties have been illegally built on the same land and these are currently occupied. The process to deal with these houses is before the Johannesburg High Court and the City is confident they will also be demolished soon.

Members of the community who have constructed illegal structures are encouraged to comply with the city’s by-laws. Failure to do so will result in the City pursuing legal action through the courts, and the costs associated with legal processes and demolition will be borne by the property owners in violation.

Written by Lulama Luti
29/02/2024

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