West residents demand action over empty, dilapidated house
This house, in Van der Berg Street in Danville, was left empty years ago and was now in a dilapidated state.
An abandoned house in Pretoria West is fast becoming a headache for residents.
The neglected house has been stripped by thieves and left in a dilapidated state, locals said.
“The owner of the house passed away a few years ago, and since then the house was left empty,” said Community Reaction Unit (CRU) member Joey Botes.
Rubbish and faeces were scattered in and around the house located in Van der Berg Street in Danville.
Botes said criminals started stripping the house, targeting the palisade fencing first.
“They started with the palisade fencing and then they stole any corrugated iron they could lay their hands on.
“Years have passed and now the house has almost been completely stripped – even the window frames and the doors are gone.”
Botes said the building was not only an eyesore for the community, but also contributed to crime in the area.
“It’s actually a very sad story because there are two men who sleep there because they have simply no place to go,” she said.
“The community automatically assumed they were contributing to petty thefts in the area, but it’s not them. They are just regular guys.”
Botes said the “real criminals” were the ones who were stealing from the house.
CRU member Gert Rautenbach said the property was regularly monitored.
“We want to make sure the property does not cause any further problems in the community,” he said.
Acting ward councillor for ward 3 Pastor James Ndlovu said because it was a private property, there was not much the Tshwane metro could do. He would, however, visit the house to investigate.
“I was not aware of the empty property because no one informed me of it,” he said.
Ndlovu said sometimes it was “very difficult” to track down the owners of a specific property.
“What usually happened if the metro was unable to gain access, the property would be cleaned and then the owner billed for the cost,” he said.
“This becomes a problem, especially if the owner cannot be tracked down.”
Previously, Rekord reported on several empty houses in the west of Pretoria, including Danville and Hermanstad that were posing a hazard for residents.
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