The residents of Avondale in Ballito are now taking the legal route to try to get the “ruins of Avondale” demolished.
The unfinished house has been an eye-sore and an easy hiding place for criminals for the past thirteen years.
Also read: UPDATE: Will the Avondale ruins be rebuilt?
The house was built too close to the property’s boundary lines and that is when the saga started.
The owner, Themba Ndlovu’s neighbour, Trevor Abbott objected to the construction in 2003 on the grounds that Ndlovu did not apply for special consent from the council to relax the building line from seven and a half metres from the road to two metres.
At a meeting held by Avondale Residents Forum chairperson Riaan Vester, local councillors together with KwaDukuza municipality head of town planning Farlan Naidoo and building inspector Wiseman Vilakazi in February it was agreed that the residents had two options.
One was that the residents could agree to the relaxation of the boundaries that were encroached and the owner, Ndlovu be approached and encouraged to finish the house or they can apply to the court for a demolishing order.
Vester said most residents were happy to agree with a relaxation of the boundaries. But neighbours directly adjacent to the property were unwilling to agree to the relaxation.
“Jonathan de Wet of De Wet Leitch Hands has confirmed that he is willing to take on the case on a pro bono basis but has required that a deposit is paid for certain costs to be paid.
“I am currently consulting with the owners in the neighbourhood to determine the appetite to litigate and to contribute to the legal costs,” said Vester.
Ndlovu had indicated to The Courier that he is still interested in finishing the house and he is still paying his rates in the hope he will one day get the green light.
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