Here’s the quickest, correct way to report illegal building anywhere in eThekwini (Durban).
Step-by-step
- Work out what you’re reporting
- Illegal building work (no approved plans / building over building lines) → Building Inspectorate.
- Illegal land use (running a business, extra dwellings, etc. without consent) → Land Use Management (LUM).
- Problem/unsafe or hijacked buildings → Problem Buildings Division.
- Gather evidence (the by-law wants this in writing)
Include: street address/erf, what’s happening, dates/times, photos/videos, and your name + contact details. (The Planning & Land Use Management By-law says written complaints must have the facts + your contact info.) - Log the complaint
- Primary channel (works city-wide):
- Call Centre / Sizakala: 031 311 1111 or sizakala@durban.gov.za (they route to Building Inspectorate / LUM).
- Direct to the right unit (useful for faster routing):
- Building Inspectorate – see the City’s Building Inspectorate procedures/contacts (regional phone list).
- Land Use Management (LUM) – regional manager contact list (Inner West/Outer West/South/North).
- Problem Buildings Division: 031 311 7245, problem.buildings@durban.gov.za (City Engineers, 166 KE Masinga Rd)
- What the City does next
An enforcement officer investigates, may conduct a site inspection, and—if a contravention is found—issues a contravention notice; the by-law also allows follow-up enforcement and prosecution. The City must investigate within 7 days of your written complaint. - Escalate if it’s urgent
- If there’s an immediate safety risk (e.g., unsafe structure, road obstruction), still log it, but also phone the Call Centre 031 311 1111 for urgent dispatch.
- If it’s land invasion/rapid illegal works on municipal land, also alert the City’s Security Management Unit (land invasion): 031 311 4699 / 079 821 8879.
Our Area Falls Under the Inner West Regional Office
1) Building Inspectorate (Illegal building work, building over lines, no plans)
- Inner West Regional Office – Queensburgh area
Address: Pinetown Sizakala Centre, 60 Kings Road, Pinetown
Phone (Inspectorate desk): 031 311 6253
(This desk covers the Queensburgh catchment from the Pinetown Civic Centre.)
2) Land Use Management (LUM) – Inner West (Illegal land use / zoning contraventions)
- Inner West Regional Office (LUM)
Address: 60 Kings Road, Pinetown
Phone (switchboard): 031 311 6265
Helpful contact: logie.moodley@durban.gov.za (LUM assistant)
Why Inner West? Queensburgh sits in the Inner West planning region — you’ll see Queensburgh applications routed there in official LUM notices.
3) Problem Buildings Division (unsafe/hijacked/derelict buildings)
- Email: problem.buildings@durban.gov.za
- Phone: 031 311 7245
- Office: City Engineers Building, 166 K.E. Masinga Rd, Durban
4) Log a case & get a reference (works city-wide)
- Sizakala Call Centre: 031 311 1111
- Email: sizakala@durban.gov.za
(They route your complaint to the correct Building Inspectorate / LUM and give you a reference number.)