Deserted house in Standerton attracts vagrants
t. It is reported that the house burnt down more than two years ago and was left deserted.
According to residents, the burnt house on Berg Street has attracted vagrants and also poses serious health hazards to neighbours and the old-aged home opposite it. It is reported that the house burnt down more than two years ago and was left deserted.
A concerned resident, Johan Steyn, told the Standerton Advertiser the house used to be beautiful, with immaculate lawns and a lush garden with a variety of plants and flowers.
The house is now a shadow of its former self, with tall grass and an overgrown lawn on what used to be a driveway and a strong stench of human waste once one gets closer to the abandoned house.
When the Standerton Advertiser visited the house, it found people living inside. The house’s roof collapsed due to the fire, and rain and horrid weather conditions completely damaged several rooms.
The resident who stays in the house told the Standerton Advertiser they moved in when they saw no one was occupying the house.
The man, who goes by the name Vusi, said he lived with three other men and shared the one bedroom inside the house where the roof had not completely collapsed.
He said they moved in because they were seeking refuge from the cold streets and posed no danger to any community members as they made ends meet by parking cars in town.
However, Steyn poured cold water on Vusi’s sentiments. ”There would not be a problem if these guys were staying in that house and they were taking care of it because it is their home for now until the owners fix it and move back in.
“But instead, the house is decaying and there is a bad smell coming from the house. They live there, which says they are not taking care of where they are staying,” said Steyn.
He added they tried to seek assistance from the municipality, but most houses in Standerton belong to the Mpumalanga Department of Housing and they did not get joy either from the department.
“I think this house should be demolished so that there is an open space where this house is. A lot of people are afraid to enter the house because one would not know what to expect inside,” said Steyn.
When Standerton Advertiser visited the house, all the electrical wiring inside was stripped, and the house had no door, though reports suggested there used to be burglar doors. The taps were nowhere to be seen as well.
The back of the house looks like a bush as the grass is much taller than in the front. It was evident that the abandoned property was not habitable and posed health risks to neighbours. Vusi told the paper they found the situation as it was when they moved in.
“It is easy for everyone to blame the homeless because, in the eyes of many people, we are just some scum that does not have rights and that poses a danger to the community. We stole nothing from this house and if are told to move we will move, however, we have nowhere to go,” said Vusi.
He said once in a while some people come to view the house, although he doesn’t know if they were potential buyers, but most of them end up not coming back to the property.
Inside the house rats and flies are common because the house itself is in very bad shape. There is garbage in every room and a bad stench that goes to the pit of one’s stomach.
Lately, there seems to be a rise in abandoned houses in Standerton.
Efforts to get a comment from the spokesperson of the Department of Human Settlements in Mpumalanga hit a snag.
