Cape Town moves to demolish 'problem building'

One of the top 10 “problem buildings” irking authorities in Cape Town was handed over by the city to a contractor for demolition on Tuesday.

And the property owner can expect a hefty bill.

The house in Somerset West has been vacant for some time‚ fell into a state of disrepair and turned into a haven for “illegal occupation‚ theft‚ vandalism and other anti-social behaviour”.

A decision was taken to demolish it after fruitless attempts by the city to get the property owner to make repairs after it was declared a problem building in 2014.

“The necessary permissions were obtained nearly two years ago‚ but we waited in vain for the property owner to make a move‚” said the city’s mayoral committee member for Safety and Security and Social Services‚ Alderman JP Smith.

“Once the remnants of the building have been demolished and the site cleared of all the rubbish‚ we will continue our efforts to recoup the costs of the operation and all other debt owing to the city‚” he said.

A section of the city’s Problem Building By-law makes provision for the repair‚ renovation‚ repainting‚ alteration‚ closing‚ demolishing and removal of refuse from a problem building‚ at the cost of the owner‚ should they not do so themselves.

There are 1292 potential problem buildings under investigation by the city’s Problem Building Unit. The suburbs of Bellville‚ Parow‚ Somerset West and Wynberg are some of the most problematic areas.

Some of the properties fall into a state of disrepair after the owners die or move overseas.

- TMG Digital