NXUBA NEWS - Criminals are exploiting the abandoned buildings in Nxuba (formerly Cradock) for illegal activities creating crime hotspots in the town.

Saps shared these concerns with the DA during a meeting with the party on Monday saying the police experience numerous challenges dealing with these outlaws.

During an oversight inspection on Monday 13 October, DA Eastern Cape Midlands Constituency Leader Heinrich Müller MPL and his delegation, visited numerous abandoned buildings. 

He says the dilapidated state of the Michausdal Sports Grounds is one of the most pressing crime concerns for the community. 

"What was once a pristine facility, opened in 1990, has been reduced to rubble. 

"The complex in the past boasted a rugby field, netball and tennis courts as well as an Olympic-sized swimming pool, but is now a picture of neglect and decay."

The buildings at sports complex has been completely stripped.  Müller says what was meant to be a beacon of hope and a positive hub for the community has been overrun by criminals. "Tragically, the situation has escalated to the point where a dead body was recently discovered on the premises."

One of their inspections was at the site of a former caravan park, that is crumbling and has devolved into a haven for drug users. 

He says the private sector has shown interest in revitalising these sites for sport and creating jobs.

According to Müller the DA's public representatives will be submitting motions and asking questions in Council to force the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality (IYLM) to urgently assess these and other problem sites and determine whether the remaining structures can be salvaged or should be demolished. 

Private individuals are interested in revitalising the sites.  

"With private individuals expressing interest in utilising sites for sports activities, the municipality, which clearly lacks the funds and capacity to revitalise facilities, should put projects out to tender.

"I have also written to the Eastern Cape MECs for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and Public Works and Infrastructure, and invited them and their departments to join the DA in oversight inspections at all the identified problem sites."

Müller urges the Eastern Cape Provincial Government to take immediate action to address the escalating crisis of the abandoned buildings, which is creating crime hotspots and destroying sporting opportunities for the youth.

The DA's Heinrich Müller urges the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality to put projects to rehabilitate the neglected areas out to tender. 

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