Government properties cause headaches

Two government-owned houses in Oberholzer are upsetting others living in this area.

Residents around 37 Adorp Street in Oberholzer complain that the tenants conduct business from the premises, which they rent from the Department of Public Works.

“We never had problems with the people living there in the past, but they got new tenants earlier this year. The man appears to be a foreign national, and they seem to be renting the rooms out as if it were a guesthouse,” one resident complained.

The tenants often play loud music and cause a disturbance over the weekends, causing the neighbours to call the police more than once.

Meanwhile, residents living around another government-owned property, 42 Station Street, also complain about the new tenants running a business from the property. The backyard, full of discarded electrical appliances, looks unsightly and could become a breeding place for rats.

“I wanted to open a creche some time ago, but the municipality said I was not allowed to because my property was zoned as residential. Why, then, can these people do what they want?” another resident complained.

The Herald asked the Department of Public Works about the issues. The departmental spokesperson, Ms Bukiwe Cimela, acknowledged receiving the questions but had not replied by printing time.

The newspaper also asked the Merafong City Local Municipality whether these properties were zoned as premises where businesses could operate and what the municipal regulations stipulate regarding businesses on residential properties and occupants of a property being a nuisance to neighbours.

The municipality said they visited the properties but the gates were locked and they could not find signs of businesses being conducted there.