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After spending hours in court, the City of Johannesburg and representatives of Marble Towers failed to fully resolve their dispute over planned demolitions at the Marble Towers precinct in the Johannesburg CBD.
The matter was then postponed by judge Leicester Adams to Friday, to allow both parties more time to negotiate before the matter proceeds to full arguments in court.
At the centre of the legal battle is the city’s attempt to remove structures it says are non-compliant and pose serious safety risks around Marble Towers.
Five things you should know about this court case
- The city says parts of the Marble Towers precinct are “death traps” due to structures allegedly blocking emergency escape routes and fire access points.
- Goldenrod Group, owners of Marble Towers, approached the high court to stop the city from demolishing structures without lawful authority or a court order.
- The city says it warned Marble Towers about compliance issues in April 2022 and again in 2023 but claims there was no response to its letters.
- Marble Towers argues the city has the right to enforce bylaws but says enforcement must follow proper legal procedures, including notification and due process.
- The city says it is willing to allow Marble Towers representatives to remove the non-compliant structures themselves instead of the city carrying out demolitions.
Sowetan
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