By Everson Luhanga
- Vandals are destroying a Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department vehicle pound in Cleveland, east of Johannesburg, bought for R45-million.
- Nearby businesses say police briefly visited the site then left, while stripping continues daily.
A building bought for R45-million to help the city manage impounded cars is being destroyed in plain sight.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department bought the Cleveland site, east of Johannesburg, to use as a vehicle pound. It never opened. Today, it is being stripped piece by piece by vandals who work openly during the day.
When Scrolla visited the site on Wednesday, several men were busy tearing the structure apart. They cut steel rods, removed zinc sheets and broke down walls using hammers, chisels and grinders.
They showed no concern about being filmed. A bakkie stood nearby, filling up with stolen materials. Once full, it drove off and later returned so the stripping could continue.
Large parts of the building have already been reduced to rubble.
A section of the land was stripped two years ago and later used to house people left homeless by the Marshalltown fire that killed 78 people. The victims were meant to stay there temporarily.
The government later built shacks on the site for the same fire victims. The settlement became known as the Shalazile squatter camp.
Families and children now live there, even though the area is industrial and lacks basic services such as schools and parks. City Power later installed a multi-million rand solar powered energy system at the camp, making the settlement appear permanent.
The rest of the land remained mostly untouched until late last year. That is when vandals returned and the stripping started again.
Businesses nearby say they are desperate and fear they could be next.
One owner said about ten unmarked metro police vehicles arrived on Tuesday but left after a few minutes.
“Nothing happened. As soon as they were gone, the vandals carried on,” he said.
Another owner said the vandals work from around eight in the morning until late, without fear.
The vehicle pound was approved in 2019 under former metro police chief David Tembe. He previously told Scrolla the site was abandoned because police feared criminals in the area.
No official explanation has been given for why the building was left to decay.
Pictured above: Vandals stripping metal and roofing from an abandoned Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department building in Cleveland.
Image source: Everson Luhanga
