No respite from vandals as historic house continues to deteriorate

The deterioration in the historic Symonsdale house on Ryley’s Hill is systematic of the Department of Public Works failure to see to the upkeep of government buildings in the province.
So said Marlaine Nair, DA KZN spokesperson on Public Works during the party’s recent oversight done on the state of provincial and national Department of Public Works owned land and buildings.
The house, at the Glencoe entrance to Dundee, is a provincial heritage site, having being built in 1903 by Edward Ryley, Minister of Agriculture in the Natal. It is located on the position of the British camp at the time of the battle of Talana in 1899.
Local historian, Pam McFadden, who helped establish the Heritage Route, said the house is one of the town’s treasures and is owned by the Department of Public Works. The house was occupied by an employee of Umzinyathi District Municipality some years ago but since it was vacated it appears as if Symonsdale has dropped off their radar.

The house has been trashed with parts of the roof removed, the doors smashed, parts of the once glorious Oregon wooden floors dug by those possibly hunting for hidden treasure, and graffiti daubed on the walls.

Even the wall plugs have been purged in the vandals’ frenzy. The was an attempt to have the roof repaired but sections of this have also been removed, according to witnesses, despite there being signs of security being placed on the property.

There were previous offers made to purchase Symonsdale by a private enterprise keen to turn the home into a B and B. However, nothing came of the offers made to the Department of Public Works.
“Many Department of Public Works-owned land and buildings have become dilapidated and left empty for decades. This, is while the departments continue to pay municipal rates bills.

“These structures are vandalised and often used as hideouts for criminals, drug addicts or slumlords who rent out parts of them. Once this vandalism reaches an advanced stage, the department usually employs security guards. It then incurs further costs when occupants have to be evicted through court orders,” Nair said in a statement.
“The reality is that these buildings could have been sold for a profit or leased out before they were destroyed, generating revenue for these departments which are widely known to be underfunded.

“Then there are the various parcels of government-owned vacant land across KZN, which are being grabbed and used for informal settlements. This leads to unlawful dumping of refuse, illegal water and electricity connections and general environmental and health hazard concerns due to a lack of proper sanitation.”

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