Safety and health concerns raised after Umbilo home gutted by fire

A FOLLOW up visit to a property in Marigny Road in Umbilo after a fire ravaged the home, has raised concerns and has the Umbilo Community Policing Forum calling for intervention to address issues on the property that have arisen.

Speaking to Berea Mail, CPF chair, Heather Roos, said while visiting the premises after the fire, she was shocked to see small children living in the unsafe building under unhygienic conditions.

Karin Dreyer, who has been been mandated to sell the property, said the house used to be a B&B, and was bought by a man who subsequently died. The house was abandoned and subsequently stripped. She said stolen cars had been found on the property and there had been a number of reports that prostitutes were using the premises and that drugs and alcohol were being sold from the property.

“I am working on behalf of the trustees of the deceased estate and have been given the go-ahead to sell the property, however there are around 70 people living in the house. I have a purchaser ready to buy the house, but there is a hold up with the rates department,” she said.

Dreyer said it was the norm for the seller to pay any outstanding rates on a property, but she had been advised that the purchaser in this instance would be required to settle the rates bill, which currently stood at a whopping R448 023, more than the house is worth and more so after it was gutted by the fire.

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“Four rooms at the back of the house were destroyed in the fire. After the fire was put out, all the people and the children moved back in. There is no water, there is sewage everywhere and there are illegal electrical connections,” she said.

Dreyer said the next step would be for her to advise the trustees of the fire and that the selling price was not worth paying on top of the outstanding rates.

“There needs to be an agreement put in place to write off the debts, as this is holding up the sale. There is a process to follow in these matters and we need to set an example, as there are around 26 houses like this in the area,” she said.

Roos said people in the community were quick to say nothing was being done about the property, but did not realise there was a process that needed to be followed and that things were happening behind closed doors.

“This is one of many of similar houses in the community that we are working on. The CPF is trying very hard to sort out the problem buildings. Our concern is that there are children and babies living in this house. The house is now unstable following the fire and if the burnt section collapses, it could injure someone. I have contacted the relevant departments regarding this problem, as well as the issue of people, especially children, living among the filth on the property. Social Services need to step in,” she said.

Roos said she had also contacted Metro Police to look into the property.