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[File Image] A view of a dilapidated block of flats in Hillbrow, where people struggle with basic services in the business district of Africa’s wealthiest city, Johannesburg, South Africa, February 13, 2023.
The Johannesburg City Council has approved a motion by Action SA to rejuvenate the inner city and reclaim hijacked buildings.
The resolution involves transferring 154 properties, including 37 abandoned factories, to private developers. The project is expected to create 22 000 construction jobs and 14 000 social housing units.
Action SA’s caucus leader and City Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu highlighted the party’s focus on addressing the issue of hijacked buildings.
“We’ve been talking about this as Action SA, about reclaiming the hijacked buildings in the inner city. We’ve tried to pass this motion last year… where this motion was even specific- we’ve got a problem with the hijacking of buildings, and they are harbouring a lot of criminals in some of them,” says Mthembu.
She emphasised the importance of preventing tragedies like the Usindiso building fire and addressing housing shortages. “We don’t want the Usindiso situation to occur again – how about we reclaim these buildings back, turn them into low cost housing units, because we’ve got this huge backlog when it comes to the human settlement department. Turn some of them into student accommodation- we’ve got a lot of tertiary institutions around the inner city,” she added.
