Residents of Eike Park have long been complaining about overcrowded and noisy student houses in the area, but this will soon be a thing of the past.
Residents have approached the Herald, the councillor for the area, Craig Harrison, and the Rand West City Local Municipality (RWCLM) to resolve the issue.
The complaints ranged from overcrowding to rowdy and drunk students who use their neighbour’s pool without permission while the neighbours are away.
The issue was a much greater one than just annoyance, as housing the students violated municipal laws such as the ratio of residents in a dwelling to the number of toilets.
Attention was finally given to the situation and the matter was taken to court where the magistrate interdicted and restrained the homeowner from continuing to use the house as an accommodation establishment without the consent of the RWCLM.
A further order was given that the respondents (homeowners who housed the students) should pay the cost of the court application on an attorney and client scale.
The students were, however, not found to be blameless in the matter as they were also interdicted and restrained from causing a noise nuisance to the neighbours.
Craig Harrison, DA Ward 7 councillor said the days of 10 students being stuffed into a small space with one toilet are over.
While the order applies to a specific street in Eike Park, it will be used as a precedent for all homeowners who practise student overcrowding in Randfontein.
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