Charity requires help from municipality
ROB KNOWLES
VOLUNTEERS at charity shop Petticoat Lane on Pascoe Crescent are appealing to the municipality to repair the building they rent after it sustained damage in October's floods.
Petticoat Lane, an initiative of the Nemato Foundation, serves the people of the area by selling affordable second-hand clothing and contributes profits to other charitable organisations.
The shop was forced to close its doors to the general public because of flood damage. They rent the building from the municipality.
| VOLUNTEERS: Those involved in Petticoat Lane, a charity shop which sells second hand clothing and contributes profits to other charities in the area, have appointed a builder to ascertain the cost of repairing the building following flood damage. From left are builder Anton Valentine, Nemato Foundation member Gunther Johannsen, Petticoat Lane volunteers Christine and Brian Fowler and Rita van Dijk together with Yvonne McKenzie and Inke and Otto Sap of the Nemato Foundation Picture: ROB KNOWLES |
"We can see rising damp running up the walls to the ceiling, and the floor is waterlogged and requires treatment,” said Valentine during his inspection of the premises.
He is currently compiling a quotation for the remedial repair work which will be presented to the municipality for their consideration.
Protected under the Heritage Act, the building sits on erf 361, a 1.7ha piece of prime land which the municipality sold to a developer more than 12 years ago. But a proposed mixed-use development was delayed by litigation which led to a High Court order that the environmental impact assessment start from scratch. The proposal was recently referred to a provincial tribunal in terms of the Development Facilitation Act.
Throughout the controversy Petticoat Lane has continued to operate at the site, but its volunteer staff are now worried the imminent development might impact on the municipality's decision to spend money to repair the building.
"We have tried to discuss the matter with municipal manager Rolly Dumezweni for some time now, but he has not responded to our requests,” said Rita van Dijk from the Nemato Foundation.
"We are now in a desperate situation and will need him to make a decision about the building soon.”
Yvonne McKenzie, also of the Nemato Foundation, was equally frustrated.
"We are prepared to paint the inside of the building, but that will prove useless until the structural repairs are completed,” she said.
Municipal spokesman Cecil Mbolekwa was contacted regarding the lack of response from the municipality.
"I have spoken to the municipal manager (Dumezweni) and he has asked me to investigate the issue further before we provide an answer,” Mbolekwa said.
