Slowly but surely, as the local government election date of November 4 (a public holiday) nears, complaints and more complaints against ANC Cllr Naeem Patel still continue to pour in.
This time many residents have accused Patel of being in cahoots with certain local Pakistanis, involved in illegal activities.
Residents claim that for a long period, Patel has been ‘protecting’ those who support him, especially Pakistanis living in the area.
According to the residents, locals who do not support Patel and the ANC are victimised and targeted on a number of matters, including running businesses at residential zoned properties and the illegal building of structures without Council approved building plans, while Pakistanis and other foreigners continue to trade from residential zoned properties and also put up huge commercial properties on residential zoned land, without any recourse from Council inspectors. The residents even claim that Patel has the Tshwane Mayor in ‘his pocket’ as the Mayor is quick to close down business premises not complying to Municipal by-laws in various parts of the city, but turns a blind eye to the illegal buildings and businesses belonging to Patel’s friends or supporters. Patel who is known to ‘milk’ his supporters to fund his various campaigns, has now ironically opened his ANC election campaign office (believed to be sponsored) at a newly built commercial building situated at 237, 13th Ave, Laudium, (corner Marble Str), which, according to the zoning certificate, is zoned residential. Furthermore, the property owner is seemingly a Pakistani owned CC PAK CELL CONNECTION CC with its members; Muhammad Waqar (51) and Muhammad Hammad (49), both clearly having Pakistani roots. The property which was bought for R2,6m cash in 2023, was a residential unit, seemingly without Council approved building plans and rezoning, but has since been turned into a mini double story business centre, comprising of a number of shops. The Laudium Sun has received a number of complaints from residents, after Cllr Naeem Patel boastfully posted the opening of his campaign office at the centre. Residents wanted to know why Naeem was allowed to open a campaign office in a building occupied by other businesses, but which property was apparently not rezoned for commercial purposes, or did not have approved building plans.
Resident, Maliga Chinsamy, told the Laudium Sun, “My aunt was merely selling fruit and vegetables outside her home to pedestrians passing by, when she was warned by Council inspectors to stop trading or else they would enforce penalties on her rates account. They even confiscated her stock. Yet these foreigners come into Laudium and do whatever they want as they are seemingly working in cahoots with Cllr Patel”. A number of other residents also complained but did not want their names published for fear of being victimised by Cllr Patel or his cronies.
The Laudium Sun spoke to a number of tenants at the 13th Ave commercial centre, who were reluctant to say much.
Fatima Patel, an assistant at Rahi Travel, told the Laudium Sun, “I’m not sure about the zoning or building plans for this building, as the owner will know. So, I don’t have much information to say about anything of this building.”
Farhana Sidat, the owner of Hijab Heaven, told the Laudium Sun, “My shop has been here since this building opened and I don’t have any issue with the landlord. I’m not aware of any problem with the zoning of the property or building plans because I have not heard anything about it from the owner. We pay rent and we do business, and that’s it.”
The Laudium Sun also spoke to a person who introduced himself as Hammad Azeem, the owner of the building, who said, “I am sure that this property is properly zoned for business. I bought the property from a local Indian owner, but I will confirm with him again.”
Attempts to get a comment from Cllr Naeem Patel were unsuccessful.