KwaZulu-Natal government sells Umlazi state building to Mangosuthu University of Technology

As part of KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Infrastructure department’s plan to save the government from paying rates for unused properties, the department has sold the old Umlazi state building to Mangosuthu University of Technology.

The announcement was made on Tuesday by the MEC Martin Meyer after visiting the building which is adjacent to Mangosuthu University in Umlazi south of Durban.

Announcing the sale of the building, the MEC said it was part of his department’s plan to offload the properties that the government no longer needs, adding that the selling of the building is part of ongoing public private partnership plan which he announced soon after taking office last year.

“We are in the process of selling the property to Mangosuthu University of Technology. The property was placed under my department from Social Development, however, it was condemned as very unsafe for human occupation and had to be closed.

"We are not going to throw people out of the building and we will try to assist them in finding another accommodation after the sale process has been completed,” said Meyer.

The building, which was under the Social Development department, had been used for years by people living with disabilities who were members of the KwaZulu-Natal Society for the Blind, producing handicrafts such as grass-knitted chairs and other projects.

The sale was a culmination of a long legal battle between the occupants and government after Mangosuthu University offered to buy the property in 2019.

The occupants were opposed to vacating the place despite being declared unsafe. As a result, the government stopped paying for water and electricity and applied for an eviction order, however, the occupants resisted.

Meyer, who was accompanied by officials from Social Development and Mangosuthu University including Vice Chancellor Professor Nokuthula Sibiya, promised to find an alternative accommodation for the 21 occupants who are still residing in the property.

The department said it is paying close to a billion rand for rents and rates therefore by handing over unused or hijacked buildings for public and private use will save the state a lot of money.

The university said it wanted the building for student accommodation and tutorial purposes.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za