Community demands half-built house is destroyed after grisly discovery

Eersterust residents are concerned over crime in their area and are demanding immediate action by authorities.

This as police are investigating a case where a charred body was found at an abandoned house in Atlantis Avenue.

The community recently spoke to Rekord about the discovery of the body of 37-year-old Nathaniel Kenny in an abandoned house on Atlantis Avenue on June 20.

According to his aunt, Sylvia Fredericks, his body was almost unidentifiable when they discovered him. She said, “His body was severely burned and in ashes. Only his chest and feet were identifiable.”

Police confirmed that a case was opened and the incident is under investigation.

Captain Johan Van Dyk, spokesperson for SAPS, said that on June 20 police received a call from Atlantis Avenue about a body that had been burned at an abandoned house. “Upon their arrival, in one of the rooms at that house, they noticed a skull on the burned ashes,” he said, adding that other parts of the body were burnt beyond recognition.

Eersterust Community Policing Forum spokesperson, Watt Petrie, said the derelict building on Atlantis Avenue has been a continuing problem, and that they are drafting a petition to have the property destroyed.

In response to concerns regarding tackling abandoned buildings, City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the metro planned to inspect city-owned buildings in Eersterust. He said the metro has a programme that aims to drive regeneration and tackle dilapidated buildings.

Van Dyk confirmed that an inquest docket is being investigated, saying, “Upon completion, it will be handed to the courts for a decision.”

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