The sheriff responsible for the eviction of the hijacked Boston Centre in Bellville says the living conditions in the building have left her speechless.
“There is no way that you could get in there without a mask,” Advocate Nonkosi Princess Cetywayo, sheriff of the Bellville High Court says.
“You wonder how people can live in a place like this.”
“Red Ants” from a private security firm started clearing the building early on Tuesday morning (5 September).
Cetywayo dressed in a white disposable overall like the Red Ants was wearing a mask to protect her from the stench inside the building.
Inhabitants of the Boston Centre were evicted on Tuesday after a notice was served on the owners and occupants two weeks ago.
The building has become synonymous with general decay and lawlessness and was declared a “problem building” by the City in 2016.
An owner, who prefers to remain nameless, told TygerBurger she bought a flat as an investment around 9 years ago.
The owner was still paying her levies until last year.
Living conditions in the complex soon deteriorated and the building has been illegally occupied by an estimated 700 people for years.
Many blame the body corporate’s lack of financial control for the mess.
The shops at the bottom of the building, including a fishery, were also evicted.
