Calls to name and shame absentee landlords
Save Our Berea said the time has come for owners of derelict homes to answer to the community.
OWNERS who are guilty of neglecting properties and buildings and allowing them to fall into decay should be named and shamed. That's the feeling of members of the civic organisation Save Our Berea, who are urging residents across the Berea to report abandoned and derelict buildings and properties.
According to Cheryl Johnson, a founding member of Save Our Berea, there are often reports in the media about abandoned and neglected buildings. She said in one particular report it was alleged that the abandoned house at the intersection of Problem Mkhize and Springfield Road was being used as a drug selling hotspot.
“That does not surprise us. Save Our Berea highlighted this property some time ago along with others. With all the problems we face in our communities, where crime and grime is impacting negatively on all of us, many people have asked why a citizens organisation like Save Our Berea has highlighted Land Use Management issues as the vanguard of our campaign. The reason is to be found in many examples worldwide where these issues have become the thin edge of the wedge in the 'broken window theory' and increase the probability of crime,” said Johnson.
She said Save Our Berea recently posted on its Facebook page the reasons why owners often allowed properties to deteriorate in order to be able to demolish perfectly good buildings by allowing them to become derelict. She said they often then put pressure on the Municipality and AMAFA (who protect heritage buildings) to issue demolition permits.
“Why is the iTrump initiative only for the inner city and not the suburbs? These properties are now what we on Save Our Berea call Trojan Horses. They put the security of residents at risk in all the communities where they appear. In just about every case, they are occupied by squatters, and now we hear even drug peddlers. Once a property is allowed to get into this state it becomes a possible launching pad for criminals to operate right inside our communities and nothing is done to stop it,” she said.
Johnson said owners of these properties needed to be held accountable, and felt they should be named so that they could answer to their communities and explain why their properties were in such a neglected condition. She said they should be held accountable for putting neighbouring residents' security at risk and contributing to the devaluation of existing properties.
“We don't mean the name of some company, CC or family trust, but the individuals behind these horror properties. Save Our Berea is not some radical group. We are normal, caring citizens who have a track record of activism. But enough is enough. We have one message for these property owners. You are putting our security at risk, you are pulling down our neighbourhoods and devaluing our properties. We demand to know who you are and why you are doing this,” said Johnson.
