City's Melgisedek buildings face decade of neglect issues

NEARLY a decade after the City of ‘Tshwane deemed the Melgisedek buildings in Riviera unfit for habitation and had planned to relocate occupants, people still live there illegally.

- RAPULA MOATSHE

The buildings continue to deteriorate, with locals complaining they are a haven for crime and drug infestation, making them uninhabitable.

In 2015, when the City condemned the buildings, concerns arose about rescuing the thousands of residents. The city announced plans to audit the residents and develop a relocation strategy. A crèche was closed and informal traders were ordered to leave, but the traders have since returned.

A year after the buildings were deemed unsafe, the Pretoria News reported that the City formed a task team to assess the buildings’ condition, structural integrity, and residents’ social circumstances. The team’s mandate was later expanded to investigate other potentially dilapidated or illegally occupied city properties.

However, it transpired this week that the City is still exploring options to rehabilitate Melgisedek and convert it into student accommodation, a proposal that originated from the previous DA-led administration.