Demolition of illegal structures at Marble Towers delayed as owners secure interim interdict

The owners of Marble Towers have temporarily delayed the demolition of structures previously deemed illegal by the Johannesburg High Court.

Municipal officials and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) on Wednesday began tearing down illegal structures, only to be met with news of an interim order halting the operation.

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The court will on Thursday morning hear arguments as to why the operation should not continue, with officials and JMPD ready to resume their work.

Demolition halted

Marble Towers, originally called the Sanlam Centre and now owned by Goldenrod Group, was ordered to shut sections of the building until it could prove compliance standards had been met.

Goldenrod were on 28 May given 20 days to rectify the building’s compliance faults and was ordered to shutter the affected areas.

“The applicant shall, within 72 hours of this order, cordon off and/or seal all structures identified by the city as non-compliant.

“Structures on the applicant’s property shall remain cordoned off and secured, and no use or occupation of non-compliant structures shall occur pending compliance with this order and/or the approval of building plans and regulatory requirements,” the order read.

Mayor Dada Morero on Wednesday stated that the conditions of the order had not been met, with JMPD finding traders continuing to operate from the illegal structures.

Excavators were on scene to tear down brick and iron structures, with the work left incomplete as the municipality waits for Thursday’s ruling.

“The city will be in court and will respect the legal process, as we always do. Our broader work to restore a safe, dignified and lawful inner city for the people of Johannesburg continues,” Morero stated.

‘Harbouring undocumented foreign nationals’

The Marble Towers operation is just one facet of a wider high-impact service delivery drive in the Johannesburg CBD this week.

The mayor stated that the building reflected the broader issues of immigration, criminality and public safety

“Our ongoing operations keep revealing that a significant number of buildings and businesses are allegedly harbouring undocumented foreign nationals.

“We are calling for a collaborative operation involving the Department of Home Affairs, South African Police Service, JMPD and other law enforcement agencies to verify the legal status of occupants, enforce the law, and restore order.

“Johannesburg cannot allow lawlessness to undermine the safety and well-being of residents,” Morero stated.

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