CoCT likens abandoned properties to Mashalltown building that caught deadly fire

CAPE TOWN - Land rights advocacy group Ndifuna Ukwazi wants the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) to repurpose its abandoned buildings for affordable housing in Cape Town.

This follows complaints from residents in the city that the department’s unused property was harbouring criminal activities.

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Woodstock and Mowbray communities said the abandoned buildings were used by drug addicts who rob people in their area.

Ndifuna Ukwazi's Nick Budlender noted that the majority of vacant buildings in the city were state-owned and were abandoned instead of being put to better use.

"The majority of vacant and underutilised buildings in Cape Town are owned by the state. These buildings are often abandoned by the state for decades, instead of being put to a more productive and just use, such as the provision of affordable housing. Instead of criminalising people that move into abandoned buildings because they cannot access housing through the government or the private sector, we should see these buildings being repurposed and properly managed as genuinely affordable homes for people in need."

Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town’s mayor, Geordin-Hill Lewis, noted safety concerns over the department's hijacked properties in Cape Town.
 
"These properties are a constant source of drug and crime complaints from the public that life-threatening and safety issues are addressed at these buildings to avoid fatal consequences, such as that which we saw at the Marshalltown fire in Johannesburg."