MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Buffalo City Derelict Buildings in the Crosshairs

By

The DA will consult all stakeholders, from civil society and the business sector, to identify ways to put pressure on the Buffalo City Metro Municipality (BCMM) to immediately deal with three derelict houses in East London. These houses have become suspected drug dens and havens for prostitutes and illegal immigrants. Failing any action, legal steps might even be considered

Yesterday, 23 March 2019, I conducted an oversight inspection at the three derelict problem buildings in Moore Street, Quigney and was joined by a number of DA Councillors. The houses are unsafe and are clearly health hazards.

In 2018 the police raided the houses and removed many underaged girls that were apparently being used as prostitutes. Drugs are also allegedly being dealt from the premises.

In spite of former Police Minister Fikile Mabalula’s admission last year that these houses should be closed down, the doors are still open.

Derelict buildings are a big problem in the Metro and is a threat to the safety of residents. We are therefore starting a campaign to make BCMM’s buildings safe and will be taking the campaign to the Municipality.

The DA has shown that where it governs, it can turn problem buildings around. When we governed in Nelson Mandela Bay we started a project of evicting people from problem structures and then closing these buildings down.

Buildings such as the Sunnyside Hotel in Central, Port Elizabeth was totally turned around and is now a beautiful sight to see. This successful plan can also be replicated in the BCMM.

The DA is now demanding the Municipality act immediately and close these three houses down.

Only a DA government can fight corruption, create an honest and professional police service to safeguard all communities, secure our borders, ensure fair access to jobs, speed up basic services and build One South Africa for All.

Regards

Nqaba Bhanga
DA EC Premier Candidate

The following two tabs change content below.

Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.