Empty buildings a haven for criminals
Welverdiend residents complain that the many old and dilapidated houses and buildings in the town draw criminals.
“This is giving us a headache. Many criminals, especially youngsters, hide in the empty buildings,” says a resident of the town, Mr Theuns de Vos. De Vos is one of many residents who try to fight crime by patrolling the town’s streets regularly.
According to De Vos, criminals often hide their loot in empty buildings, and community patrollers have even found the remnants of cables that copper thieves had left behind in some of the structures.
“Yes, this is a huge problem. Criminals have been stealing corrugated iron sheets from the roof of the old empty farmhouse opposite my home,” says a resident of 15th Avenue, Mr Johan Roestoff.
According to Roestoff, criminals had made such a noise there in the past that he could hardly sleep. Although he then stored some of the corrugated iron the criminals had removed, he later heard that the house, previously belonging to the Far West Rand Dolomitic Water Association (FWRDWA), was being sold.
De Vos says many other houses and buildings, especially around the old railway station, are also causing them headaches.
The Herald asked the Merafong City Local Municipality whether they would assist by addressing the issues with the owners of the problem buildings. The Herald also contacted Ms Amanda Greef of the FWRDWA about the issues.
Neither had responded by printing time, however.
