The Sunday Mail
All of the 10 buildings condemned by the City Council Fire Department in 2013 still fall short on the required public safety standards and are still in use despite recommendations by experts to have the buildings shut and rehabilitated, it has emerged.
High-rising buildings in the CBD which include Mahachi building, Dublin House, Roslin and Daventry House were all deemed to be lacking public safety standards by the Fire Department but have all continued to be used, worsening their conditions.
“In general, the buildings do not meet Fire Safety Standards, putting lives and property at risk,” reads a letter written to the City Council Director of Health Services by the Fire department.
According to the Fire Department, Mahachi Building is said to be lacking emergency exits and fire equipment. The building also lacks the gateway which leads to a street while its hosereels are no longer working.
Vivandelphi Court is said to be home to a pile of rubbish with both electricity and water absent in the dilapidated building. Stewards and Lloyds is at high risk of fire as there is poor housekeeping with various activities happening but without fire exits. Dublin House, Msasa House, Bush House, Roslin House and Daventry House are all in a bad state and crying for attention from the city fathers. The offices of these buildings are also partitioned with plywood boards thereby increasing the risk of fire. Poor machinery layout is reported at Robin house with the building facing more or less the same situation as other buildings.
However, despite the risk occupants of the buildings do not seem to mind as they about their business.
“We have read in the papers that the building does not meet standards but we have been working here for years and none of the said dangers have happened,” said one tailor based at Dublin house.
“We prefer it here because the rentals are cheaper plus our customers know this place, so even if we wanted to move we would not want to lose our customers.”
Efforts to get a comment from City Council were fruitless as directors in the departments of Health Services and Public Safety referred questions to the director of Works Engineer Phillip Pfukwa. Engineer Pfukwa requested written questions which he, however, had not respond to by the time of going to print.
