The demolition of the old Springbok Pub in Newlands is set to be completed by June. PHOTO: SUPPLIED


One-and-a-half years after a converted train carriage went up in flames at the former Springbok Pub premises in Newlands, the demolition of the dilapidated Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) owned building is at last underway.

On Monday 5 October 2020, City Fire and Rescue Service received a call for a structural fire at a disused building at 1 Sport Pienaar Road, Newlands.

One week after the fire, Kaparo Molefi, a spokesperson for Prasa Corporate Real Estate Solutions (Cres), said “it is now the intention/strategy to formally demolish the premises and make the area safe and aesthetically pleasing”.

This intention finally turned into action on Friday 25 March when the site was handed over to the appointed contractor.

Nana Zenani, head of department (acting): Marketing, Communications and Stakeholder Relations for Prasa, says delays were caused by internal processes “which must be complied with in any tender process”.

Zenani says actual work commenced on Monday 28 March. It is anticipated that the work will be completed by the end of June.

“Work that will be done at the premises include the demolition of roofs, floors and the breakdown of concrete structures such as concrete beams; the isolation/blocking and protection of underground and overhead services where necessary (for example water pipes, electrical cables and so on); and the erection of a 3 m high clear-view fence which is 125 m long,” says Zenani.

The Newlands pub used to be a favourite local hangout spot up until August 2019 when David Harris, the former lessee of the property, relocated his business to Observatory.

During the national lockdown, the premises had been broken into and severely vandalised.

On Wednesday 28 July last year, Ian Iversen, the then Ward 59 councillor, and Mikhail Manuel, the then Ward 59 branch chair, handed over a petition to Neil Engelbrecth, assistant manager of real estate asset management at Prasa.

Signed by Ward 59 residents, the petition demanded that Prasa step up and take responsibility to make the abandoned building safe (“Promise to ‘get going’”, People’s Post, 3 August 2021).

At the time, Prasa committed to “try to get something going” at the premises within the next two months. However, despite Prasa’s commitment to get the ball rolling, the premises looked worse for wear when Manuel and Iversen again met with Prasa representatives at the site on Tuesday 28 September 2021 (“Line ‘a hole in the fence’ ”, People’s Post, 15 October 2021).

With work at the site now well underway, Manuel, who was since elected as the new councillor for Ward 59, says he is relieved.

“It has been a lengthy effort with multiple meetings to try to get this issue resolved. From the outset, our approach has been an offer of partnership to Prasa for any assistance they might need to make the site safer for the public and residents of the area.”

He adds that, although the demolition of the building is sad, considering its long history in the Newlands community, it is better for everyone.

“It certainly makes it safer. People have been living on the site for some years now. The derelict site created an opportunity for people, without homes, to live in a location that was not safe or healthy for them. It also created an opportunity for petty crime and an easy escape route for criminals to access the railway tracks.”

Barbara Breedt, Groote Schuur Community Improvement District (GSCID) general manager, agrees that tearing down what is left of the pub is best. She says the conditions at the site got progressively worse after the 2019 fire.

“Homeless people started stripping the building and it was becoming a danger to those who used it as shelter. There have been two fires after that first incident. Breaking it down will probably save people’s lives.”

Breedt says the erection of the clear view fence will also deter criminals from using the train tracks as a thoroughfare.

Speculating on how the soon-to-be-vacant property could best serve the community in years to come, Manuel says the site is in a prime location for a transit-orientated development that can serve both the immediate neighbourhoods and the broader Cape Town community.

“There are countless possibilities for the site to be a positive contribution both to the character of our neighbourhoods and to the broader densification objectives of the City. I wish Prasa all the best with their efforts to develop their property and am looking forward to seeing what they will be doing on it in the future,” says Manuel.

Although People’s Post asked what Prasa Cres’s plans for the property was going forward, no response to this question was given.

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