'He failed as mayor': Hijacked buildings fight heats up between Tshwaku and Mashaba
Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety Dr Mgcini Tshwaku has hit back at ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba
Image: Timothy Bernard/Independent Newspapers
Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety Mgcini Tshwaku has hit back at ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba’s criticism of the City’s handling of hijacked buildings, dismissing claims that the city was negotiating with criminals.
IOL previously reported that Mashaba slammed the City’s plan to engage tenants of hijacked buildings, arguing that negotiations would legitimise criminal syndicates and put residents, including children, at risk in unsafe inner-city properties.
Tshwaku said the City was not negotiating with criminals but was responding to a housing crisis driven largely by poverty and a severe shortage of alternative accommodation.
"No one is negotiating with criminals. He failed to reclaim bad buildings during his tenure as a Mayor. The problem here is an alternative accommodation. There is a huge backlog. I have read the Usindiso Commission's report"Tshwaku said.
"The crisis of illegally occupied buildings in Johannesburg is a deeply entrenched issue driven by a complex interplay of organised crime and, more significantly, a severe shortage of affordable housings".
He said lawful evictions were difficult to carry out at scale due to the City’s constitutional obligation to provide temporary emergency housing, which remains in short supply.
"Lawful evictions under the PIE Act are rendered largely unworkable on a mass scale due to their lengthy, costly nature and, most critically, the City's constitutional obligation to provide Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA) for displaced persons—a resource that is critically scarce. The City's failure to meet this obligation has resulted in significant financial penalties and stalled reclamation efforts".
Tshwaku said the City’s approach focused on a negotiation-led stabilization model, which involves engaging tenants, setting up City-controlled rent escrow accounts for those able to pay, and carrying out in-situ safety upgrades.
"Ultimately, a successful reclamation effort hinges on a sophisticated, blended approach that combines social intervention and negotiation with decisive, targeted enforcement, all underpinned by a long-term strategy to drastically increase the supply of affordable and emergency housing".
IOL News