October 17, 2002
By Tendai Dhliwayo
THE pungent smell of rotting garbage, carelessly dumped in the passages of Sunleigh Court in Hillbrow, did not deter the mayor, magistrates and council officials from venturing inside the building this week for a glimpse of the chaotic situation.
The mayor was hosting a four-hour tour of the city as a forerunner to the establishment of municipal courts next year which will hear cases relating to by-law violations.
The tour was meant to highlight the work to be done by the municipal courts to redevelop the city through by-law enforcement. The tour further sought to "sensitise the magistrates about the challenges" and bring them face-to-face with the real situation.
Sunleigh Court was a shocking dose of reality. Windows have been broken, and plastic bags, dirty blankets, cardboard boxes have been expertly positioned to shield the tenants from the elements. Those on the mayor's tour who entered the building immediately came out, faces crinkled, and walked carefully to avoid stepping into pools of stinking water. Then it was off to the next inner city slum.
Among the contingent were deputy chief magistrate, Gert Jonker and senior magistrate, Thifhelimbilu Phanuel Mudau, who will be in charge of the municipal courts. Also on the tour were mayoral committee members and city officials, including Martin New, the regional manager: inner city regeneration.
According to Masondo "the tour reinforced the stance on zero tolerance on crime". And by touring various run-down buildings like Sunleigh Court, it revealed the urgency needed in implementing by-laws.
Briefing people about the state of the court and telling people how various by-laws are being flouted, he said it is buildings like Sunleigh Court, which are "out of control", and "unsafe buildings" that the municipal courts will deal with.
Like Sunleigh Court, most of the buildings visited in the inner city showed that there is a need for by-law enforcement. In some of these dingy blocks, including Junnell House at 63-Nugget street, in central Joubert Park- used condoms are strewn all over the stairways - but Masondo and his team sliced through the odorous and dark passages to see for themselves the challenges ahead.
The municipal courts will ensure that owners of such dilapidated buildings comply with council regulations. Illegal electricity connections, health by-laws, illegal dumping, fire act offences and illegal conversion of industrial buildings into residential properties are some of the contraventions that will warrant legal action to be taken, according to New.
Buildings unsuitable for human habitation, beyond refurbishment, will be demolished, he said.
Part of the inner city tour included visiting the Janie Street Park in Jeppestown which is being used by people to dry their clothes, illegally dumping refuse and loitering. From the Park the tour headed for the Kaserne informal settlement where people have built shacks in a "road reserve", that portion of the roadway that that could be used for expansion, for example the island between lanes on a freeway.
New says graffiti on council property will be dealt with, and there will be a swoop on posters illegally pasted on buildings. Culprits will be brought to book - a move meant to stop illegal advertising on city buildings.
Other offences to be looked at by the municipal courts pertain to illegal parking, illegal trading and illegal occupation of sidewalks by shop owners whose business spills far out beyond the boundaries of the building.
According to New, practices like illegal parking "affects the city's economy as businesses are unable to receive their deliveries".
Some of the buildings visited are going to be upgraded and safe environments created "in some few months to come", adds New. It is a move meant to rekindle the inner city.
One of these is the Rissik Street Post Office that has been lying idle for some time. Due to its neglect, the building has lost its former glory to thieves and vandals. They have helped themselves to the building's three brass bells, the copper cladding and electrical wires have been stripped and even the clock - a replica of Big Ben in London - has not been spared. Plans are under way to restore the building - now in advanced stages of deterioration - to its former glory.
Though the tour to some of the inner city's slums left many wondering "Are there people living there?" it was the visit to the hotel area of Hillbrow and Berea that left the entire touring contingent in bewilderment.
According to New, some of the hotels, now in the hands of Nigerian drug lords, are being used for prostitution and drug dealing. He says the Mark Hotel has been sealed, its liquor licence cancelled and during a recent swoop by the police R30 000 worth of alcohol was confiscated.
It is at the basement of this fast degenerating hotel that a fully-fledged abattoir is up and running. When the mayor arrived, workers were busy slaughtering chickens and plucking feathers, and appeared unperturbed - as if all was well - despite the police, city's health officials and Masondo's presence.
The other sealed hotel close by is the Sands -also notorious for drugs and prostitutes, according to New. The building has been earmarked for refurbishments by developers.
However, still in the same area, there is still a glimmer of hope as some of the "better buildings" can be found there.
"Better buildings" are those that were once in slum conditions, have been redeveloped and are now well-looked after - "creating a clean, safe living environment for people to live in and children to grow", says New. Examples of such buildings in Hillbrow include Lake Success and Koch Mansions in Pietersen Street.
By-law violations that turn residential buildings into slums are not the only matters the municipal courts will be dealing with. Other violations include illegal phone booths and shebeens. The gauche males who have the habit of shamelessly urinating in public are in for a big surprise - the net is closing in on them and they will be charged for public indecency.
Training of prosecutors will start at the beginning of next year. With the help of the national Department of Justice department, the city is in the process of reviewing by-laws to be implemented with the coming of the courts.
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