Durban - The China Emporium building in the Durban central business district, which caught fire in January last year, will be demolished soon.
This was confirmed by eThekwini Municipality yesterday following enquiries from The Mercury on the future of the condemned building.
The demolition of the structure, which has become an eyesore over the past months, is part of the city’s efforts to deal with urban decay and target problem buildings that are occupied by vagrants and used for a range of illegal activities, including drug trafficking and prostitution.
Head of communications for eThekwini Municipality, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, said the demolition would be carried out in phases, adding that all the necessary steps have been followed including the owners submitting and subsequently receiving approval for demolition works from the City (demolition permit) and submission of all the required documentation, including demolition methodology and safety plans.
“Council is now set to receive the commencement notice from the owner prior to demolition such that all the necessary checks are concluded by ourselves as the City and the final go-ahead is granted,” said Khuzwayo, adding that the City has set aside R8 million in the 2023/24 financial year for the problem buildings project that was started in 2019.
The spokesperson said that the city has identified eight buildings for renovations, four for demolition and four for sale in execution.
In the 2022/23 financial year the City managed to get 15 buildings renovated, with five demolished and at 25 properties the property owners committed to getting the structures in good condition.
According to the City, there are 88 problem buildings on the database, “but the number is not static as buildings are inspected continuously and subsequently removed once success has been declared”.
Khuzwayo cited difficulty in accessing funds for rehabilitation purposes by property owners, and multiple ownership of some of the buildings as among the challenges hampering the municipality’s programme, which is aimed at giving the city a much-needed facelift and ensuring that it appeals to both tourists and potential investors.
The project is spearheaded by the municipality, with the co-operation of property owners.
She said that implementing a comprehensive and effective problem buildings programme can be complex, due to challenges including deceased estates, difficulty to serve notices on owners or obtain necessary permissions for interventions, and untraceable owners, which created difficulties for initiating any renovations, evictions, or legal proceedings. She pointed out that the municipality was working at ensuring that the policy made it easier for City authorities to enforce the law.
“Currently, the review of the problem building by-law is under way to broaden functions (scope) of the by-law, including giving the powers to the municipality to execute renovations and recover costs from owners,” said Khuzwayo.
The City has also had engagements with property owners in a bid to deal with problem buildings and ensure that owners become more responsible for their properties.
“A carrot-and-stick approach is used by the municipality to encourage owners of problem buildings to turn around their buildings. However, if owners refuse to do so, enforcement will take place,” said Khuzwayo.
She pointed out that part of the enforcement would include serving notices and taking legal action, which may include property acquisition or sale in execution.
Khuzwayo conceded that addressing the challenge of problem buildings requires an integrated approach involving a range of stakeholders, including different municipal departments, provincial and national government departments, the judiciary, local communities, and non-governmental organisations.
“Despite these challenges, the eThekwini Municipality remains committed to pursuing its Bad Buildings Programme in the best interest of its residents and the broader community,” she said.