Brandon Topham, the DA’s mayoral candidate for the Tshwane Metro wanted to visit the notorious Schubart Park block of flats in the Pretoria CBD today but was denied entry to do so by the residents residing here. Clearly, this block of flats was turned into a safe haven for criminal elements. Even the Metro police are too scared to enter the premises. Schubart Park and neighbouring Kruger Park are text book examples of what inner city decay looks like if it is allowed to go on unabated.
“The Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality has apparently given up on Schubart Park and allowed it to degenerate into an urban death trap.” said Topham after visiting the facility. The DA is proposing a plan to rescue Schubart Park before it becomes a total human tragedy.
Elevators have been out of service for years. Criminals are stripping steal from the buildings’ concrete and crucial supporting infrastructure. These criminal elements, many of whom are illegal immigrants, wage a reign of terror in the building.
Human waste litters the corridors and an extreme stench warns of the increasing health risk.
The Metro Police is nowhere to be seen and violent resistance from residents prevent law enforcement.
By regaining control of the situation at Schubart Park the complex can be secured, cleaned up and renovated to restore dignity to the lives of its residents; it will serve as a model for other urban regeneration projects in the city.
If the DA wins the election on 18 May it will make a concerted effort to rescue Schubart Park by implementing the following plan.
1 Restore safety and control
· Metro police officers will be deployed across the complex to enforce by-laws and protect law-abiding residents until safety and order has been restored.
· Illegal inhabitants and criminal elements will be identified.
· A register of all occupants will be compiled.
2 Restore infrastructure and services
· An expert assessment will have to be conducted of the structural state of the buildings within the complex and the required restoration measures.
· If restoration and refurbishment is possible, the process will be executed on a floor-by-floor, block-by-block basis. The large scale removal of residents will be the very last measure.
3. Provide alternative accommodation
* If the Schubart Park buildings are indeed irreparable they pose a severe threat to occupants and should be progressively evacuated.
* If this is indeed the only workable option, current residents will be provided with occupation guarantees entitling them to alternative accommodation.
With constant urbanisation it is crucial that all housing resources are looked after and managed well to alleviate the need for housing among lower income groups.
The safety, human dignity and right of residents to access to housing will guide the DA in turning this disaster into a monument of hope. The alternative is not an option for the DA.
Residents of Schubart park should be able to live there with dignity. They should live in a clean, safe and healthy environment and the DA will make this its priority.
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