Residents living near the old Teachers’ Quarters in Kayalethu, Khutsong, are raising concerns that something is seriously wrong with the properties. This week, a resident warned that the quarters are increasingly looking like hijacked buildings.

The complex, which belongs to the Merafong City Local Municipality, was once a neat group of semi-connected houses dedicated to accommodating local teachers. The site was previously so well-maintained that at least one former municipal councillor lived there a decade ago.

However, a recent visit by the Herald revealed a stark decline in the state of the facility. Paint is peeling off the exterior walls of several units, while other walls have been covered in graffiti. The wreckage of a minibus and a small car sit abandoned outside one of the properties.

According to neighbours, only two teachers are currently known to live at the facility, amidst growing rumours that someone else might be illegally renting out the remaining units.

The Herald approached Temba Fezani, the marketing and communication manager for the Merafong City Local Municipality, regarding these concerns.

According to Fezani, the municipality is not managing the facility as it was donated to the organization Khutsong BLA to maintain in the late 1980’s.

He added that although the allocation was supposed to be done by the municipality, the teachers to whom some of the units were previously allocated illegally made them available to other people when they moved out.

“Merafong City Local Municipality conducted a structural assessment of the units, since they are located in a highly dolomitic area that was experiencing sinkhole formations. The residents were informed that the municipality intends to demolish the units as part of the greater relocation programme along with Khutsong Hostel. The municipality does not have any records or information on the current occupants, and the place will not be renovated,” Fezani concluded.