Residents fed up with abandoned house issues

MEREBANK residents at Sylhet Place have raised concerns about an abandoned house on that road.

The house, according to the residents, has been abandoned for over 15 years and is described as a haven for vagrants and drug addicts. Number 46 Sylhet Place is in between a residential property and a church.

The residents said fires often break at the property, so frequent that the recent one was the third in the last two months.

Rodrick Hammond, who lives on the same road, played a huge role in extinguishing the fire. He was driving past the house when he realised that the building was yet again burning.

“I parked and ran to get water. The next-door neighbour passed about 10 buckets of water to me,” he said.

He said his immediate thoughts were of the elderly woman who lives next door to the abandoned house.

“She would be in trouble if the fire was to blow out of proportion and onto her house. How will she evacuate the premises in time when she is disabled?”

He said it would be better if authorities rezoned the house and use it for the betterment of the community.

“We’d like for the councillor to come to the party and do something about the house, it has been abandoned like this for years. When I ask these young boys what their aims are, they say nothing. They’re just idle and that is the devil’s playground.

“If one could get these young people involved and uplift them by training them to have skills. Things like teaching them how to paint, weld and plumbing, to try to create something to give them hope,” he added.

Founder of Wentworth Angels, resident and community leader, Tracey Williams, said the ward councillor could do more for the community. She said rezoning the house is the best option.

“Our ward councillor has known about the house for many years. When the fire broke out recently, he did not even come out to assist.

“We want the house down to build something that could uplift the community, it could be an old age home, a children’s home or even a rehabilitation centre. These are things we do not have and desperately need in the community,” she said.

A woman who wished to remain anonymous. said the house is an eyesore.

“We can’t keep living like this. The vagrants urinate and relieve themselves there, there are rats everywhere. Even at the back of the house, there is rubbish which is a health issue. We need our councillor need to help us. He has come to see the house and I have records of speaking to him, municipal workers came as well, but nothing has been done,” she said.

Another anonymous source said, “My grandmother is about 80-years-old, she has one leg and we live with a young girl. If you check with the fire brigade, you’ll find that they have been called more than five times to put out the fire,” he said.

The alleged owner of the house, Mervyn Naidoo, said he has no idea of what is happening at the house.

“I suffered a stroke more than five years ago and as a result, I now collect a grant. The house was repossessed,” he said.

Ward 68 councillor, Aubrey Snyman, confirmed that he was aware of the house and the residents’ complaints.

“The South Durban Basin Area Base Management’s (SDB ABM) Anitha Singh, various municipality officials from various departments and I had visited this dilapidated house.

“We also visited others in ward 68 inspecting all these buildings in the ward a few years back as numerous complaints from residents were received and inspections were done. They were going to give feedback to SDB ABM as and what plans of action will be taken.

“I did not get any feedback on the outcome. I have not referred anybody to any department as this matter was being dealt with by the municipality. I spoke to the residents to find out if they knew of any family members who were able to give me information on this property that I could contact them so.

“I am still exploring other avenues to get closure to this matter,” he said.

A comment from eThekwini Municipality was not available at the time of publication.