A property in Glen Marais has been turned into somewhat of a ‘squatter camp’.
The property, situated on Dann Road, is one of two about which ward councillor Jaco Terblanche submitted a petition to council to have them cleaned up.
Terblanche submitted the petition during last week Thursday’s monthly council meeting in Germiston.
Plot 27 has become a ‘mini informal settlement’ while Plot 28 has tenants renting out rooms built there.
“I went there (Plot 27) with the police in September and discovered that about eight shacks had already been erected on the property,” Terblanche said.
According to Terblanche the owner of Plot 27, who lives in Pretoria, is aware of the people who have settled on the property and has already been requested to remove. He is allegedly not using the property for anything.
Plot 28, on the other hand, has several rooms built on the land and the owner is renting out the rooms to tenants.
“The issue with these properties is that the land has been zoned for agricultural purposes, but is currently being used by the owners as residential/boarding facilities, which is illegal as it goes against departmental by-laws.”
For the owners to be allowed to continue using the properties as is, they would have to apply for re-zoning of the land.
Terblanche had a meeting with the Environment and Waste Management Services Department, which will start the process of serving the owner of Plot 27 with a notice to clean up the property.
The City Planning Department would be requested by council to remove the illegal dwellers.
The Health Department will also conduct an inspection on the property, as there is also rubbish being dumped on the same premises. The department would then issue a notice to the owner regarding its conditions.
