The Heritage Task Team established by Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Zanoxolo Wayile to look into dilapidated buildings and heritage issues throughout the city will visit dilapidated buildings in Central tomorrow.

This follows a meeting of the task team where it considered the strategy and plan of action it should follow.

The inspection of the buildings forms part of the medium- and short-term strategy and plan of action and will be used to categorise buildings in terms of compliance with acceptable standards.

The task team, led by Deputy Mayor Nancy Sihlwayi, aims to hand a full report to the mayor next week to meet its tight two-week deadline. It is envisaged that the report will then be considered by the mayor, mayoral committee and ultimately the whole council and will “form part of the intervention mechanisms that will be made to restore the dignity of the city”.

After yesterday’s meeting, Deputy Mayor Sihlwayi said the team had adopted a quasi-legal approach on the matter, proceeding “with great caution and care to protect the heritage of the city and residents on the one hand, but also respect the rights and dignity of property owners on the other.

“We are extra careful.

“While we want to ensure that the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality plays its role in protecting the heritage of the city and ensuring the safety of residents, we want to also make sure that owners are brought on board amicably.

“We are not at war.

“But we have to balance the rights of individuals with the safety of residents and the preservation of the heritage of the city,” Sihlwayi said.

She added that the team was “seriously considering all relevant guiding legislation to ensure the city takes legally accepted interventions in this matter”.

Source: The Herald