A cesspit in the middle of Joburg

By Noor-Jehan Yoro Badat

Is this the most disgusting building in Johannesburg? The stench from the mounds of rat-infested, rotting garbage in a derelict office block - in the heart of the provincial government precinct - is so severe that people gag as they walk past.

In the heat, it's overpowering. The piles of rubbish, human faeces, stinking water and urine choke the fire escapes and cover a first floor balcony ledge dripping onto pedestrians below.

This is the Avril Malan building on the corner of Sauer and Commissioner streets, flanked by the provincial departments of local government and housing - which shares its building with the provincial Department of Health. It is also a stone's throw from the ANC's headquarters.

Illegal tenants live inside its dank rooms. They refuse to give their names for fear of brutal reprisal.

"They will kill me. I'll sleep on the streets if they see me talking to you," says one woman, looking around, scared.

"People stay here with their children. The water leaks, there are no toilets, the drains are blocked.

"Tenants here pay rent of R400, R700, even R1 000, and people come to collect. They want their money. There is fighting and rape that goes on here."

Downstairs, hawkers ply their goods, oblivious to the flies. One wrinkles her nose at the smell.

"You are not the first journalist to come here," says an elderly passer-by to our photographer. "Tenants have been threatened. They can't talk because they are desperate to stay . They don't know who's watching."

As we step into a narrow alleyway at the side of the building. Black water is littered with nappies, bottles, rotten vegetables, plastic and paper. Two big rats scurry under a roofed-off section of the yard. Water drips from above. It is difficult to stomach and we move off.

Back at the entrance, an elderly woman retreats into the squalor.

"My child, come away from there. They poop in tins, they pee in the buckets and throw them out of the windows. It falls on the people and on the pavements," she says. "I'm feeling bad but I have no place to go."

A security guard across the street laments the stench and the activities that go on at night. "At 6pm people throw rubbish out of their windows. They treat the ledge like it's a dustbin. Every week an ambulance comes. Many people get ill. The police also come, there's always fighting and gunshots."

Dan Govindjee works in an adjoining building.

"When you look down from our building, the stairwell is full of rubbish. It is a serious health issue. People at work have to avoid passing that way.

"What concerns me is that the Health Department is next door. How many people walk past there who have the authority but do nothing? I'm sure a lot of officials smell this."

He and a colleague have reported the matter to City of Johannesburg health inspectors, but have had no joy. "No one has got back to me," he says.

Eventually he contacted the Saturday Star, who went to investigate this week. When we asked him where the entrance was, he said: "Just follow your nose."

A business owner, who operates on the same block, said he can't tolerate the problem anymore. "It's really affecting business. is a big problem, the smell and the vandalism are getting out of control."

The Department of Local Government said it had complained to the council, which "came to the site last year", and was told that "they will deal with the matter".

Shaun O'Shea, spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg's Region F - covering the inner city - said the issue was being attended to.

"The Inner City Task Force has conducted a thorough investigation. A High Court application for the closure of the building has been launched," he said.

"The Avril Malan building has been illegally converted from an office block into residential accommodation, which has resulted in a total collapse of the building's infrastructure.

"The illegal conversion has resulted in conditions in the building deteriorating to levels which pose a serious risk to the health and safety of the occupants, as well as the neighbouring external environment .

"Some of these problems include the infestation of rodents, insufficient firefighting equipment, broken water pipes, elevators not working and illegal electrical connections.

"Because the building was designated for office use, it does not have sufficient ablution facilities for all the residents.

"This has resulted in the sewer infrastructure collapsing, resulting in raw sewage filling the basement and leaking onto the streets. There have also been reports of tenants throwing plastic bags of faeces from windows and allegations of crime and rape."

While "this is a bad building", said O'Shea, "the number of such buildings is decreasing due to actions taken by owners who are taking responsibility … The regeneration of the inner city remains a priority of executive mayor Amos Masondo."

Howard Ndaba, spokesperson for the Gauteng Health Department, expressed his department's concern about the state of the building.

"As a department we are aware of this issue and are in consultation with the council. We have to establish who is responsible for this and we are interacting with the municipality. We are very concerned," said Ndaba.