Durban - A derelict building earmarked for demolishing as part of the eThekwini inner-city rejuvenation project has been reduced to rubble on Tuesday.
Contractors have been working on the building since July 26.
The derelict double storey property in Trafalgar Place was nestled between Rochester Street, Mahatma Gandhi behind the famous Apples building and Rutherford with access from Gillespie Street.
The Mahatma Gandhi node which comprises of the Point precinct has 39 derelict buildings within the entire inner city.
Previously the eThekwini Acting Mayor Fawzia Peer said the city was utilising its by-laws, building regulations and ultimately legal processes to eradicate problematic and bad buildings.
The Inner City Thekwini Regeneration and Urban Management Programme (iTrump), headed by Hoosen Moolla, extends from the Umgeni River in the north, the Beachfront and Point to the East, Victoria Embankment to the South and Warwick Avenue, Umgeni Road to the west.
The ITRUMP Area Based Management was established as a response to the urgent need to prioritise the regeneration of the inner city.
ITRUMP places the strategic value of the inner city at the core of its business and seeks to maximise its multiple opportunities.
The area has been targeted for development and these buildings have become an eyesore for tourists and locals.
The city also plans to create the multibillion-rand Rivertown Development Precinct, which lies on the east of Durban CBD between the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) and Durban beachfront.
Buildings such as Tong Lok and Rond Vista are receiving attention as part of the intervention being implemented by the city.
“The City is also committed to working with the private sector in eradicating bad buildings for purposes such as commercial, student accommodation, social housing, and social facilities required to address the above mentioned social ills,” Peer said.
“Bad buildings have been plaguing the city for quite some time by becoming drug dens, brothels and homes for vagrants, to the detriment of law-abiding residents and the business community,” Peer said.
Owners of bad buildings who have gone under the radar neglecting them at the expense of the Municipality are warned to come forward or risk losing their property.
City Manager Sipho Nzuza said the city has been given the green light by the courts to start demolishing some while court processes on others are underway.
Nzuza said multi-billion mega projects will alter the city’s skyline. He said contractors have already commenced with construction work, an indication that the city means business.
“Rivertown is going to be home to among others restaurants and art galleries and is expected to revolutionise the city’s nightlife dramatically,” Nzuza said