Mayor Herman Mashaba joined the City of Johannesburg’s urban inspectors and Ward 104 councillor Mike Wood on a weekly visible service delivery blitz, visiting six problem properties in Randburg on 13 February.

According to Mashaba, these inspectors had been to each of the six properties before, two of which were residential, issuing noncompliance notices but to no avail.

City of Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba shuts down an illegal panel beater that has been exposing the public to dangerous fumes. Posted by Randburg Sun on Wednesday, 13 February 2019

“The owners of these properties and businesses completely ignored these interventions by the City, which often come to our attention through concerned and frustrated neighbours. This led to us closing down three of the four illegally operating businesses visited yesterday,” Mashaba said.

One business had suspiciously closed before the mayor arrived and the other properties were issued with notices to comply.

Wood said, “It is important that the rule of law is applied across the board. These issues are like the ‘broken window syndrome’; if you allow a window to stay broken, you allow everything else around it to decay. This issue was brought about by complaints from the public, and we are going through the ward to do something about it.”

Ward 104 councillor Mike Wood comments on the shutdown of various illegally operating establishments in the Ferndale and Strijdom Park area. Posted by Randburg Sun on Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Mashaba said the by-law contraventions at these properties ranged from illegal accommodation, lack of permits, health hazards, noise nuisance, illegal electricity connections, endangering the safety of the building and people in the building, building control violations, and lack of occupational health permits.

“I am seriously concerned about the level of reckless disregard for the law,” added Mashaba. “By closing down these businesses, we are making sure that the law is adhered to. We cannot afford a society that is ruled by lawlessness, whatsoever. These blitzes by our urban inspectors will continue every week as we aim to have every business operating within the City of Johannesburg compliant to its by-laws.

“Ultimately, we want our residents and business owners to flourish, but we cannot allow this to happen at the cost of breaking the law. I encourage residents to report any suspicious activities or by-law contraventions to 0860 65 28 74 or 011 375 5555.”

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