Decay deepens at Metro Centre

City faces potential collapse if it continues on this trajectory, says NGO.

- Thando Nondywana

The City of Joburg's Metro Centre in Braamfontein has been abandoned while office files, furniture and equipment—some still being paid for in costly leases—has been left behind. Civic activists say this situation highlights the fact that the city's infrastructure is crumbling and its leadership is failing.

When The Citizen visited the building recently, we were turned away by aggressive security guards who were employed after the empty building was invaded a few weeks ago by squatters.

The building surrounds were a picture of neglect, with broken paving and smashed windows a motif of the decay.

City of Joburg mayor Dada Morero announced this week that the premises "will undergo extensive refurbishment through a public-private partnership".

The 50-year-old Metro Centre building has been declared inhabitable and in violation of several regulations and Acts.

Morero said R3.2 billion will be spent to refurbish the structure.