Grandpa in bitter housing feud
ALEXANDRA – 90 year old evicted after suspicious fire guts 'his' home.
An elderly Alex man laid an attempted murder charge at the Alex Police Station against his deceased partner’s step grandchild after an alleged arson incident on 7 July at a 20th Avenue house.
The complainant, 90-year-old Hendrik Bapela, who claimed to have lost a money safe and all his belongings in the fire, said that he shared the house with the deceased since 1972. He said he also added several rooms for rent at the place and that things were fine until the granny’s death three months ago. He now lives with his own son in Ext 7.
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He also alleged that the suspect repaired, cleaned and occupied the house before the forensic investigation was done. The suspect’s aunt, who requested anonymity, confirmed living with the complainant and her deceased mother without problems before she moved to her own place elsewhere. She claimed that a fictitious housing permit – purportedly in the name of the suspect’s mother – emerged after the burial, followed a month later by the fire and eviction. This, Bapela said was despite a family agreement to let him continue staying at the house.
He said the incidents unsettled him and he fears for his life. “The fire smelled of petrol and started while I was asleep. It spread quickly and gutted the place… A tenant in one of the rooms broke open the door to rescue me with the assistance of neighbours who put out the fire. I was taken to a hospital where I received oxygen,” he said.
He added that the suspect threatened him later. When he reported the threats to the police the suspect retracted the threats and apologised. “But, days later, he repeated the accusation and threatened to kill me,” Bapela alleged.
He also claimed that the suspect told officials at the department of housing that he would still stay with him after the house was fixed. “But instead he evicted me after giving me only R400 of the monthly rental collected from the six rooms rented for between between R500 and R1 000,” he alleged.
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Bapela claimed that he heard the suspect wants to know the cost of constructing the rooms presumably with the intention to reimburse him.
The suspect disputed the allegations saying the house belonged to his father. He said the issue was a private family matter.
Details: Alex Police Station 011 439 1788/9
