| IMPERIAL GROUP (PTY) LTD
SMASHED THE RAND STEAM LAUNDRIES HERITAGE BUILDINGS TO SMITHEREENS
IN DEFIANCE OF PROVISIONAL DECLARATION AND
CONTINUED IN DEFIANCE OF A STOP ORDER
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In defiance of the declaration by the M.E.C. Barbara Creecy of the Rand Steam laundries as a provisional Provincial Heritage Site, Daniel Coetzee of D.E.M.O.B. Demolishers started stripping the buildings of roof sheeting and other metal early in 2008. On 9th January 2008 Flo Bird warned Coetzee that this was illegal and he referred her to Dean Merridew of Imperial Group (PTY) Ltd who told her that he had a demolition permit from the City of Johannesburg. The City of Johannesburg does not out rank the Province and Merridew was informed that he needed a permit from PHRA-G - the Provincial Heritage Resources Authority of Gauteng. Bird asked Merridew to instruct the demolisher to stop the work and he did so while she was on site.
On Thursday 10th January on the direct instructions of Dean Merridew the same demolisher, Daniel Coetzee, brought in huge mechanical equipment with instructions to destroy the buildings. The grab pulled over the walls then drove back and forth across the rubble crushing the bricks, splintering the Oregon pine and twisting any metal in its path. Whatever survived was lifted and dashed down repeatedly until it too was crumpled and useless.
Flo Bird, William Gaul and Henry Paine of Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust witnessed the wilful destruction. Efforts to halt proceedings by calling Mr Daniel Coetzee and Dean Merridew proved fruitless. Finally, Grant Botha, an official from PHRA-G, arrived to deliver a stop order. There was no one of sufficient seniority to receive it on site, but Botha spoke to Merridew on the cellphone and notified him that he would fax the order through to him as the representative of Imperial and that a charge would be laid at the Brixton Police station the next day.
At that stage the buildings on the corner of Napier Road and Barry Hertzog Avenue, the filtration tower and part of the one laundry shed were still standing.
Grant Botha of PHRA-G laid the charge against Mr Dean Merridew of Imperial at the Brixton Police station. Case No 220/01/2008 on Friday 11th January and the Stop Order was sent to Merridew by fax.
In outright and continued defiance of the National Heritage Resources Act and presumably acting under instructions from senior authorities of Imperial Group, Merridew sent the bulldozers and TGB's back in on Saturday and Sunday morning when the cottages under the oaks were then destroyed.
Imperial Group (Pty) Ltd and/or its agents have violated the National Heritage Resources Act and demolished a large number of protected buildings. A stop order was issued and they continued to violate the act and ignore the heritage authority, they destroyed the remaining buildings and removed materials from the site. We are demanding that the authorities show "Zero Tolerance" to these powerful offenders.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT, 1993
- CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS, 2003 CLEARLY
IGNORED AS WELL!
Notification of construction work
3.(1) A principal contractor who intends to carry out any construction work shall¾
(a) before carrying out that work, notify the provincial director in writing of the construction work if it includes¾
(i) the demolition of a structure exceeding a height of 3 metres; or
(ii) the use of explosives to perform construction work; or
(iii) the dismantling of fixed plant at a height greater than 3m.
(b) before carrying out that work, notify the provincial director in writing when the construction work¾
(i) exceeds 30 days or will involve more than 300 person days of construction work; and
(ii) includes excavation work deeper than 1m; or
(iii) includes working at a height greater than 3 metres above ground or a landing.
(2) The notification to the provincial director contemplated in subregulation (1) must be done on the form similar to Annexure A to these regulations.
(3) A principal contractor shall ensure that a copy of the completed form contemplated in subregulation (2) is kept on site for inspection by an inspector, client, client's agent or employee.
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