Obviously no one is interested in the happenings around our houses. So far I have reported it to both the municipality and the sector ward.
This is regarding an issue I have with houses, in Florentia especially, being used for illegal business, etc, and I have had a letter printed in the Alberton RECORD before.
It seems like this could be a profitable enterprise: buy a house, break it into sections and lease them out. Once you become unhappy with your earnings, you can start leasing out the actual yard to whoever can put up a shed.
I have a few questions:
1) Why did I even bother purchasing my house?
2) Am I allowed to go ahead and do what I want without any ramifications, or is it a question of nobody caring?
3) Does our municipality even equate to anything good, or is it just there for show?
I have no idea what to do anymore. Can anyone advise where to from here, or give any indication of how long something like this takes to be investigated and rectified?
Unhappy resident
Themba Gadebe, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality spokesperson, commented as follows regarding three houses the resident mentioned as problems:
“One of the properties was inspected on October 17 and a contravention letter was issued. It was inspected again on January 24. It was found that no one is living in the Wendy houses. They are being used for storage. The property was re-inspected on February 17. The situation remains unchanged. No scheme contravention was found. In our view there is no contravention of the scheme involved.
“Next property: there are illegal offices on the property. The matter was handed over to our legal department during May 2016 to initiate legal proceedings. A re-inspection was done on January 24 and the offices are still in operation.
“We have followed this up with the legal department and they are in the process of appointing attorneys to take the matter further.
“The last house in question: the inspector could not gain access to the property, but it appears to be quiet and there are no external signs of a contravention of the scheme. Re-inspection was done on February 17. The situation remains unchanged. No scheme contravention was found. The resident is a medical doctor who says he replaced his windows during December 2015. No other signs of construction or a contravention were found.”
