AFTER nearly a year long battle to evict its tenants, the Agape Trust finally has its building back.
According to Boy Mqadi, the chairman of the Agape Trust management board, Agape Children’s Home in Waterfall was formerly a home for children and its intent was to provide shelter, food and basic learning skills for underprivileged and orphaned children. However because of various constraints the organisation ceased operating in this form, and the dormitories and ablution facilities were under-utilised.
“We rented some living space to an organisation that aimed to operate a rehabilitation centre for former addicts and drug users – it was called Good Hope Rehabilitaton Centre,” said Mqadi.
At first, the arrangement worked well, the rental for the first few months of operation was paid but shortly thereafter the lessee defaulted. The situation escalated to a point that Agape Trust was having to cover the living costs of at least 40 woonga addicts. The management of Agape then instituted legal action against the so-called rehabilitation centre to have them removed. An eviction order was served but the illegal occupants refused to move and simply stayed put. They had since taken over the entire centre.
Tex Collins, PR councillor for the area, said crime levels began to spike. “The situation at the centre rapidly deteriorated and much infrastructural damage was being cause by the occupants, with costs for repairs rapidly escalating to many thousands of Rands. Furthermore the illegal occupants had become abusive and aggressive, threatening the Agape employees and any other individuals trying to have them removed,” said Collins.
This then forced Mqadi to take a harder line and to have the electricity and water supplied to the centre terminated and to seek further relief from the courts. Another eviction order was instituted, which was carried out by the Pietermaritzburg’s Sheriff on Thursday, 7 July. The dormitories were cleared and the occupants and their belongings put on the streets. The locks were also changed and a security guard placed at the centre.
Collins added that the community around the centre was understandably aggrieved because not only was it alleged that the crime in the area stemmed from these individuals but the noise and drunkenness at night caused much disturbance to an otherwise peaceful neighbourhood.
“I am glad to have finally removed these people from the Agape Home and hopefully we can continue to run our drop-in centre for the Valley children again,” said Agape.
A few weeks ago, the centre manager, Precious Celiwa Zungu hoodwinked two neighbours with her plea for help to get the rehabilitation centre back on its feet after the water and electricity was cut off from the premises. Her story was plausible to the extent that Highway Mail wrote an article about the facility being in dire straits and appealed to the community for help. However it was this same article which brought Boy Mqadi to our offices and the truth was revealed, as well as the duplicity of someone playing on public sympathy.
