Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson met with eThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba to discuss a partnership to tackle the issue of problem buildings in the City

A COLLABORATION between the City and the national Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to tackle the issue of problem buildings was cemented during a media briefi ng on 26 August. Held at the Durban City Hall, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson and eThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba announced a collaboration between the City and his department to tackle problem buildings. A technical task team will be created to drive the implementation of the programme. 

This is a major boost for the inner city regeneration efforts that the Municipality has been undertaking over the past few months. Minister Macpherson said: “We agreed to establish an important joint technical task team between the City and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to address a number of bad buildings across the City. This is to ensure that state-owned properties pay their rates on time, and to assist in Durban’s inner city rejuvenation. I am absolutely committed to ensuring that our public assets are used for public
good in eThekwini.” He added: “The task team will devise formal strategies and plans to expedite investment into state-owned properties and to attract additional investment into the inner city. It will also have to keep track of interventions to ensure they achieve the desired outcomes.” Mayor Xaba welcomed the engagement with the Minister. “We have agreed to work together to find permanent solutions to the challenge of bad buildings in the City. We have embarked on an inner city regeneration programme which focuses on bad buildings, public space management, and enforcement of by-laws.” Mayor Xaba said: “Our teams have identified 76 buildings which are derelict, abandoned, hijacked and overcrowded. Of these, 58 are privately owned and 18 are government-owned buildings and this is where we require the intervention of the Minister.

We have also discovered that 16 of these buildings have been hijacked and are illegally occupied.” He said interventions by the Problem Buildings Division has seen them achieve several successes including 12 buildings that have been refurbished by owners, 11 demolitions including the Chinese Emporium Building, seven hijacked buildings returned to owners, and seven buildings currently undergoing repairs. Last year, Council approved the display of building wraps on declared problem buildings to assist property owners to generate income from advertising to settle arrear rates and services and to pay for refurbishments of the building. Murals have also been painted on some buildings to help improve the streetscape.