Residents of Boksburg have expressed concern about the disused and derelict state-owned building on the corner of Leeuwpoort and Bank streets, next to the traffic court.
The property in question was used years ago by the Department of the Interior, but the furniture and other contents have been collecting dust since the occupants left.
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has not yet responded to the Boksburg Advertiser’s request for information about the building. However, information gathered by the Advertiser suggests that “waterlogging” forced the Department of the Interior to evacuate the building.
Ward 32 Clr Marius de Vos also expressed concern about the derelict property. He said during a recent meeting on the proposed project to restore the CBD to its former glory, this building was part of his concerns.
“This vacant building has been running up a huge bill for guard and security services for a substantial number of years.
“It is also unfit for human habitation due to rising water in the basement or foundations.
“The premises can be used by demolishing it and creating a parking lot or a park that can be used. All it does now is cost the taxpayers to have it guarded by private security companies.
“From my point of view, it comes down to useless and fruitless spending,” de Vos said.
The Advertiser understands that at some point after the offices left, some local NGOs applied to use the building, but their requests were turned down.
One such organization is the Boksburg and East Rand Historical Association, which wanted to turn the building into a museum.
This property is among dozens of other disused state-owned buildings in Boksburg, attracting vagrants and property grabbers. They include some of the illegally occupied government houses on 14th and 15th Avenue in Boksburg North.
This story will be updated as soon as the relevant department responds to our lists of questions.
Some of the questions posed to the department are:
• What are the plans for the property and when do you plan to start implementing any plans you have?
• Why is the building neglected or unused for all these years?
• Is the building secured or secured against intruders, vagrants or property hijackers, especially those who turn disused properties into dens and drug dens?
• If it is monitored by a security company, how much money is spent on service providers per year?
• Doesn’t the cost of safeguarding this empty building constitute wasteful expenditure?
• Do you perform a periodic inspection of the property? If so, what did the last inspection reveal about the condition of the building?
• Will the department consider converting the building and many others in the city, into something else or give it to NGOs or small businesses or give it to the city council so they can be well maintained?
• When was this building built and for what purpose?
Also read: Thieves take advantage of abandoned and dilapidated school
The furniture and other contents have been collecting dust since the former occupants of the building left.
This derelict state-owned building located on the corner of Leeuwpoort and Bank Streets.
