A vandalised and now vacant City-owned building in Old Paarl Road in Wallacedene, currently tied up in a lengthy and problematic property transfer, has sparked a vigorous debate among local politicians at a recent Subcouncil 2 meeting.
While the ANC in a motion supported by the EFF called for the building to be redeveloped by the City for the use of youth entrepreneurship, the FF+ supported the DA in not accepting the motion due to the contractual legalities around the sale of the building.
According to official Lynette Olivier from the City’ property management department the transfer was held up due to a dispute in the conveyancing process due to the buyer not being prepared to pay the additional escalation of the purchase price.
The value of the property escalated during a four-month delay in the issuing of a clearance certificate, which the buyer feels was the City’s responsibility, Olivier explained.
“By law the City is obliged to transact at the market value of property and that escalation runs until the day of transfer. The buyer has requested a reduction in the escalation value.
“The City has consulted its attorneys and has to decide on the way forward pending feedback from the attorney,” Olivier said.
However, representing the EFF, Bulelani Mei argued that the City should consider the motion, should the sale fall through.
“Give us a chance to use this land.
“We need this building to help our youth as there is a lot of unemployment,” he said.
Ward councillor for Wallacedene Siyabonga Duka from the ANC stressed that the building currently poses a great danger to the Wallacedene community.
“It has become an illegal dumping ground and a hideout for criminals, where people are currently being raped and killed,” he said.
He called on the City to investigate the possibility to revamp the building to provide a trading space for the scores of unemployed youth in Wallacedene.
Subcouncil chair Marian Nieuwoudt expressed her concern over the fact that the building had been repeatedly vandalised by the community over a period of 21 years, and so never utilised.
To this, City Councillor and Mayco member for urban waste management Grant Twigg said the City cannot support any more wasteful expenditure in the repair of this building.
“Should the possibility of repairing the building ever come about, a feasibility study should first be done to determine whether the community indeed has an interest for the facility,” he said.
