Abandoned properties in Delmas area are magnets for crime
Most of these properties have been unoccupied for months, and some for many years. These properties have become eyesores for the town and adjacent property owners.
A large number of properties are vacant and abandoned in the district of the Victor Khanye Local Municipality (VKLM).
Most of these properties have been unoccupied for months, and some for many years. These properties have become eyesores for the town and adjacent property owners.
Streeknuus asked neighbouring property owners in Delmas about the ownership of these vacant properties.
“The property in Dunbar Street is apparently part of an estate, and it seems that no one cares about the state of decay of the property.
“In can only be worth the land it was built on, as it has been vandalised to a mere heap of building rubble with nothing left inside or outside,” one disgruntled neighbour told Streeknuus.
“We saw people coming and going, literally with pieces of the house, taps, copper pipes cables and later they left the property with doors, windows, and roof sheeting.
“No one seems to care and to phone the police is a no-go. Though there seems to be nothing left to strip, criminals are still coming and going from the house daily.”
In Fourth Street, opportunistic criminals and thieves demolished a state-owned property. This property is also just a skeleton with nothing left of it.
Yet another property that has become the house of many homeless people is the old rugby club, which apparently belongs to the municipality.
This property was also stripped of everything of value and now only serves as an overnight for many nyaope addicts. What used to be a beautiful property in extension two in Delmas has also become an eyesore.
An adjacent property owner told Streeknuus the vacant property has been a source of terror for far too long, stating intruders have entered their property on several occasions by gaining access from the abandoned house next door.
A commercial bank apparently repossessed this property, but like the previous private owner, the bank does not seem to care about the property or its current state.
“This house has become a target for criminals. With the tall grass and unkept yard, we will probably have a fire hazard once again this winter,” said Carel Botha.
The grass at this property caught fire on a previous occasion, which damaged the two adjacent properties. (Streeknuus, February 4, 2022)
Streeknuus attempted to contact a councillor at VKLM as well as the fire department, but at the time of going to print, we received no response.
