A building in Cape Town’s busy Loop Street corridor has become the centre of renewed discussion around illegally occupied properties after authorities moved in to clear occupants from the former Happy Rhino Hotel, an operation that residents say had been anticipated for months.
As first reported by local estate agent Miles Manders from RE/MAX Living as well as details of the action surfacing through a Facebook update shared by Waar Brandit INNI KAAP, which described how officials entered the property following ongoing complaints linked to alleged criminal activity affecting the surrounding neighbourhood.
The post stated that the building had been unlawfully taken over and that law enforcement officers involved in the operation discovered hundreds of rooms being rented out without legal authority.
Information shared in the online post indicated that close to 750 rooms inside the structure were being occupied under questionable circumstances.
Authorities on site reportedly found that rent had been collected from residents by an individual allegedly posing as the lawful owner.
The property in question, once known as the Happy Rhino Hotel, had, according to community concerns referenced in the post, become associated with wider safety and management issues impacting nearby businesses and residents.
In a response provided to Cape {town} Etc, the City of Cape Town explained that the action was not a municipal eviction.
City officials noted: ‘This was a private eviction and the property owner would be best placed to respond.’
The municipality further explained that cases involving unlawfully occupied or so-called ‘hijacked’ buildings are not uncommon in urban environments, which prompted the introduction of regulatory mechanisms more than a decade ago.
City representatives highlighted that the Problem Building By-Law, introduced in 2012, was specifically created to address deteriorating or illegally occupied properties posing risks to occupants and surrounding communities.
Enforcement falls under the City’s Problem Building Unit within the Law Enforcement Department, which monitors properties that may present health, safety or compliance concerns.
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