Abandoned plot of land turned ideal criminal hideout

A YELLOWWOOD Park resident is at her wit’s end after futile efforts to report a vacant plot of land on Jacana Road which has become an ideal hiding ground for criminals.

“The area had been well maintained for years. But up until the last two years, there has been no action. The area has become a thick bush with large trees which is problematic because it is at the centre of residential homes. I have called the Parks Department several times and as residents, we have reported this with no assistance. This has become a hideout spot for vagrants and criminals who have made several attempts to access and rob our homes. They have even broken part of my fence.

We are no longer safe at all. We have become a target for break-ins,” said Khanyisile Mbatha who has lived in the area since 1990.

She has previously made efforts to hire a garden service to trim down the overgrown trees but shared that this was not a feasible or an affordable option.

Ward 64 councillor Gavin Hegter explained that the area in question had been owned and maintained by the Department of Transport years ago during the time when the N2 freeway was built.

“During the construction of the freeway, some blasting needed to be done which damaged some of the nearby houses on Jacana Road. The department then compensated the affected residents and took ownership of the plot of land. It was eventually sold to a resident who had plans for it at the time, but however, didn’t materialise. It has since remained unused,” said Hegter who emphasised that the land was not municipal land.

Speaking to the SUN, the owner of the land, Paul Conlon said the land was sold to him illegally.

“The Department of Transport had advertised the sale of the land without declaring that it was not stable. I only found this out when I had already bought it with hopes to build a 20 unit residential property. I met with a town planner who issued a report that the land was unfit to hold the property. Department of Transport must have been overzealous with their dynamite blasting when they built the freeway, resulting in the land being unusable. Today I sit with a huge rates bill and I am currently working with my attorneys on the matter. I have been waiting for a court date for over four years to take the department to the High Court but there have been constant delays on their part. They can have their land back,” he said.

Attempts to reach the Department of Transport for comment proved unsuccessful by the time of going to print.

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