Tshwane Evicts Tenants And Moves To Demolish Non-Compliant Pretoria West Building
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The City of Tshwane has evicted tenants and stripped a high-rise in Pretoria West owned by developer George Asaba of its doors and windows after a court order cleared the way for its demolition.
The City of Tshwane has cleared a high-rise building belonging to Nigerian developer George Asaba in Pretoria West, following a protracted legal battle that this week culminated in a court order allowing the municipality to evict its tenants and demolish the structure.
On Tuesday, a large team of city officials, Tshwane Metro Police Department officers, civil personnel and construction workers descended on the building, led by Mayoral Committee Member responsible for Corporate and Shared Services Flora Monama, to evict the tenants. After emptying the building, the team ripped out the doors and windows to render it uninhabitable.
“We are here enforcing the court order, firstly by evicting the tenants, which we have now concluded. The next step, as you can see, is to make it uninhabitable so that people don’t move in when we leave,” Monama said.
She said the structure was built defiantly from 2024, despite city officials warning Asaba that his project was not compliant with municipal building regulations and ordering him on multiple occasions to halt construction. Monama said the city prefers to help developers, homeowners and businesses comply with building regulations and that demolition is always a last resort.
Some of the evicted tenants said Asaba repeatedly misled them about his dealings with the municipality, consistently assuring them that everything was above board even as he was losing the legal battle. Tenants said they were attracted to the building by what they considered affordable rent, with a single-bedroom flat costing about R2,500 a month.
Monama said the city would not be able to demolish the building immediately because the operation would require funding as well as careful planning. The crackdown forms part of the City of Tshwane’s Bad Buildings Programme, through which non-compliant structures, hijacked buildings and other properties deemed undesirable are targeted for clearance and, in some cases, demolition.