Much investigation and many calls to previous neighbours, councillors and residents that used to stay in the ghost house finally led the Record to its current owner.
The ghost house that has the community gushing actually belongs to a property developer, Ian Coetzee, 46, from Poortview who has big plans with the property.
First, however, he gave the Record a bit of background on the seeming abandoned building. Coetzee bought it from Paul Jordaan, whose family lived there before, around two years ago. However, it seems the house was unoccupied for months or even years before that, vagrants having slept there and the interior being destroyed, its walls covered in graffiti messages and its floors covered in dirt and junk.
Coetzee enjoys a development challenge and bought the piece of ground with the idea to knock down the dilapidated building. To him it is melancholic, given the once-beautiful architecture and well-kept grounds.
“Unfortunately the structure got to a stage now where it deteriorated to the extent that one would not be able to restore it, it’s a pity,” he said.
The building is not more than 60 years old which would give it monument status with the Provincial Heritage Resources Authority Gauteng. Its monument status might have inspired its restoration and would have made the process of getting it approved for demolition lengthy and difficult.
“There’s another property in the area that I have bought which does have monument status, but it’s old and doesn’t compare to this ‘ghost’ house.
“It’s a pity one cannot restore the house and utilise it as a residential home; its architecture is unique and stands out from other developments in the area, considering its age, the architecture was way ahead of its time,” Coetzee said.
Coetzee is hopeful to demolish the ramshackle and to build residential accommodation anew.
“We are going to develop it,” he told the Record.
“We’ve already applied for a demolition certificate and we are in the process of rezoning it, but the actual development would most likely only start in two years’ time.”
As for the fact that it is locally known as the ghost house, Coetzee says the story has been around for a long time.
“As a small boy we used to drive past there and people then already referred to it as the ghost house, I’m familiar with the name.”
Coetzee lives in Poortview with his three children and wife. He grew up in Horizon View.
• [AUDIO] Ghost House owner speaks
Previous articles:
• [VIDEO] Take another look: Grobler Park’s ghost house
• [GALLERY] Grobler Park’s ghost house
• Roodepoort’s own ghost house
