By Thapelo Molefe
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson said on Thursday that activist groups were obstructing government attempts to reclaim hundreds of hijacked state buildings, warning that lives were placed at risk as derelict properties deteriorated.
Responding to questions during a media briefing, Macpherson said that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) currently has 386 hijacked buildings on its books.
“Out of the total package of properties that we own, 88,000, we have 386 buildings that are hijacked,” he said, adding that the scale was relatively small compared to the portfolio but deeply concerning given the ongoing safety hazards.
Macpherson said despite the dangers posed by the buildings, government faces fierce resistance from activist groups when attempting to reclaim them.
“We are being fought at every turn by groupings, by advocacy organisations that are happy for the status quo of those derelict and hijacked buildings to remain. I can’t quite work that out,” he said.
He warned that the opposition places residents’ lives at risk.
“I promise you that… I will be the first one to blame if anyone dies or is injured in either a building collapse or a hazard in one of those buildings,” he said. “It’s a really problematic situation that we face.”
The minister cited a recent fire outside one of the hijacked properties that government is attempting to reclaim.
“We are trying to reclaim and give people living there a better existence, and we’ve been opposed to that,” he said.
Macpherson questioned why DPWI should bear criticism for the existence of hijacked buildings when its attempts to secure them are blocked.
“Are we to blame… when we are being opposed at every turn to actually secure those buildings and provide people with better accommodation?” he asked.
“Some questions need to be asked as to why we are being opposed in these matters.”
He confirmed that the department has made progress and has already reclaimed several properties.
“We have reclaimed a number of buildings, we’ve reclaimed a number of pieces of land,” he said.
The minister also highlighted an ongoing legal battle at the well-known Wingfield site in Cape Town, where DPWI, the City of Cape Town and Home Affairs are jointly seeking to evict unlawful occupants.
“We are fighting a joint case… where we have people who are illegally in this country occupying a piece of state land, unlawfully, who are being defended to do so. I mean, come on man, that doesn’t make sense,” he said.
DPWI Director-General Sifiso Mdakane added that the department has intensified its Operation Bring Back (OBB) initiative aimed at recovering hijacked properties.
“We’ve got four contractors appointed… they’ve already started,” he said, adding that the contractors are clustered by province and are being monitored by the DDG for Real Estate Management.
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