The Drakenstein Municipality recently announced that they have measures in place to tackle the ever growing problem of dilapidated and derelict properties which cause huge problems for neighbourhoods.
In a recent statement the Municipality said that the Municipal Court which opened in December last year has paved the way for them to officially start cracking down on owners of dilapidated, unsightly buildings in the area.
These premises not only create an eyesore and hamper potential investment, development and tourism to the area, but are also unsafe and demoralising for local communities and businesses.
According to the Municipality there are currently 42 cases being addressed via the Municipality’s Problem Premises Bylaw. The Municipal Court has already found in favour of the Municipality in one case since December, while 10 cases were resolved without legal action. These properties vary from privately owned to parastatal properties.
The nature of the matters reported at the Municipal Court ranges from buildings requiring maintenance, to buildings which are derelict, require structural repairs, or are a hazard to human life and should be demolished.
The municipality first affords the owner of the premises an opportunity to address the issues before officially declaring it a problem premises by serving a notice informing the owner of the intention to declare the property.
The owner then has a certain amount of time to engage with the municipality and indicate by which date the matter will be addressed or resolved.
Should the owner fail to engage with the municipality, the municipality has no other option but to serve a further notice and declare the property a problem premises. Thereafter, the matter is taken to the prosecutor and a legal route is followed to achieve compliance with the notice served.
But business owners in central Paarl are sceptical about whether the municipality will display a real urgency to attend to such complaints.
One example is a problem property in Dorp Street, which according to business owners adjacent to the property, has been reported to the municipality on various occasions, but little action has been taken.
The dilapidated house, which belongs to a Cape Town property developer, has turned into a squatter camp.
According to neighbours of the property, there are sometimes more than 20 people living there. The house has already almost been burnt to the ground due to fires made inside the house and the garden is overgrown with weeds and littered with other filth and debris.
Neighbouring businesses on the Main Road side of the property constantly fall prey to attempt break-in, vandalism and scrap metal theft. One businessman told Paarl Post that he has had to spend thousands of additional rands to protect his property from these vandals.
On enquiry about this Dorp Street problem property to the municipality, they said that they are aware of the problem and have inspected the site themselves and confirmed that the current state of the building and premises is unacceptable. They said that a relevant notice will therefore be served on the owner.
“However, it should be noted that permission from the Western Cape Heritage Council will be required for the repair or demolition of the building, as it is more than 60 years old. With regard to the occupation of the property, it should be noted that occupants can only be evicted via a legal process.”
The municipality added that in the interim steps must be taken by the property owner such as clearing the property of debris and weeds. In extreme cases, the municipality is empowered to auction off such properties where municipal accounts have fallen substantially into arrears in order to recover arrears. However, a court order is required to take such action.
Drakenstein Municipality encourages the public to report problem buildings to the municipality at 080 131 3553 toll free or by sending an email to customercare@drakenstein.gov.za.
