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ActionSA will write to Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor, Retief Odendaal, to request that he expedite inner city rejuvenation in Qqeberha as well as declare war on hijacked buildings to provide social housing to the most vulnerable in the area. 

Hijacked buildings have become a major problem in the city with an estimated 100 properties reported to be hijacked by criminals and foreign nationals. 

These criminals collect rent illegally - which is tantamount to extortion - without delivering any services. 

This as the inner-city poor are taken advantage of through illegal informal rental agreements and forced to live in deplorable conditions which are often hazardous to their health and well-being. 

The hijacked buildings can, however, be reclaimed to provide decent inner city housing the most vulnerable living in the city, student housing or office and manufacturing space for new businesses. 

ActionSA President, Herman Mashaba, set the example of what can be done when he championed one of the most successful inner city rejuvenation programmes while the Mayor of the City of Johannesburg. 

His public-private partnership led to billions of rands in investment flowing into the Johannesburg inner city and created a cleaner living experience for the city’s residents.

Inner city rejuvenation has the potential to attract large scale investment into Nelson Mandela Bay while solving housing and student accommodation problems in the metropolitan.

ActionSA, as a party which prioritise social justice, will maintain pressure on the Nelson Mandela Bay coalition government to ensure that inner city rejuvenation is prioritised, and the lives of the most vulnerable are protected. 

Issued by ActionSA Eastern Cape Chairperson Athol Trollip