Good fences make good neighbours, as the adage goes

Zakiya Mckenzie

zakiyam@caxton.co.za

Dividing walls and fences are one of the most contentious issues homeowners face.

Neighbours sometimes squabble over the boundary between their properties, often because one has erected something that is illegal or that the other finds offensive.

Take the case of Isabella Greeff and neighbour Wayne van Niekerk from Linden; after surveyors declared a prefabricated wall between their properties unsafe, Greeff had it removed. The wall stood entirely on her side of the boundary so, legally, she did not need to consult her neighbour. She did, however, notify him of the removal.

The Greeff’s then went away and returned to see that their neighbour had erected gum poles and later corrugated iron sheets to separate the two homes. Because the structure was erected entirely on van Niekerk’s side of the boundary Greeff would be wrong to remove the pentagram embedded in one of the iron sheets that faces her yard.

“You should see the look on people’s faces when they come to visit,” Greeff told NMT.

“We have to deal with pentagrams, candles and incense burning. We are a country with many different religions but I think this is just intimidation. On a psychological level, it is very upsetting, especially because both families have children.”

NMT contracted Van Niekerk to give him the opportunity to respond but he denied knowing anything about the issue.

All properties are surveyed and pegged when land is zoned for residential use, but the pegs are generally removed as soon as the land is built.

This is why it is important to ensure that boundary walls and fences are correctly positioned in the first place. If there is a dispute between neighbours at any stage, it may be necessary to get a land surveyor to resurvey the property according to the official diagram that is lodged with the Surveyor-General in Pretoria.

Source: www.buildingregulations.co.za