Vagrants at Horwood’s Farm have been accused of invading residents’ privacy.
Mr Arthur Coetzee, a resident whose home borders the park, said vagrants are noisy and living unhygienically.
Among other concerns is the safety of his family, as well as the privacy in his back yard.
“We have noticed activity behind our property since we have moved in to our house.
“The vagrants are not even 20 metres away from our back wall. They can look right into our property and see all the activity. This is discomforting to us and more are moving in,” said Mr Coetzee.
“We live in fear and don’t sleep properly. We can’t enjoy our own back yard to braai because they either watch us or we hear them talking and making noise,” he said.
Mr Coetzee said he had a meeting with the Edenvale council as well as SAPS, EMPD and parks board members.
He said the ward 18 councillor, Clr Heather Hart, has been assisting him but she does not have the authority to give instructions.
“I am so fed-up as it seems that nobody cares about this problem. I have gone through all the channels but still nothing has been done. No one would like to live like this. I had the police at my property several times and they told me they cannot arrest the vagrants,” he said.
Clr Hart said the Constitution protects a person’s right of movement and association, and there are rights of others that include privacy, security and protection from harassment.
“The issue of homeless people and those begging on the streets is sadly becoming a part of the fabric of our society, even here in Edenvale. However, having the laws and being able to enforce them are two different things. If we take the homeless people currently living at Horwood’s Farm ,we could arrest them for trespassing. The magistrate will laugh at us because they will cry poverty, which could well be true, despite the fact that those currently staying there appear to be part of the recycling teams, and so the SAPS and EMPD are faced with an impossible task,” she said.
She said the SAPS and EMPD, together with social services and parks who are responsible for park maintenance, and real estate who own the land need to take appropriate action and take it urgently.
“It has been almost a month since an emergency meeting with regards to this situation and yet despite the EMPD immediately taking action, they have received no back-up from the other departments and so the situation continues,” said Clr Hart.
The NEWS requested comment from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality by November 19 at 10am.
At the time of going to print no comment had been received.
WATCH: In September last year a vagrants was killed at the Edenvale Skate Park.
