Resident at wits’ end over illegal neighbours

Stefan Pretorius, a resident of Okavango Drive in Wilro Park, has been a victim of crime six times between December and January.

“There have been several attempts since then, but we’ve been lucky so far,” he says, while showing off the security measures including video cameras he had installed at eye-watering expense, and the footage of the last person who attempted to gain entry over his perimeter walls to steal the 60 metres of copper piping he has painstakingly installed to serve his trout dam.

The Pretorius house is located at the end of the cul-de-sac adjacent to an open space, which offers excellent views over the small valley.

Unfortunately for Pretorius, the valley that makes for such a beautiful view turned out not to offer the tranquillity he had hoped for.

This is because, unbeknownst to him at the time, the valley and the stream that runs through it to join the Muldersdrif Se Loop in Roodekrans are not only a popular spot for people practising traditional African religion and other religious groups, but also serve as a thoroughfare between Okavango Drive, Serissa Avenue, Elkie Drive, and Wilgerood Road.

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It is also home to an illegal occupant, who lives at the foot of a small cliff in the valley, hidden from view by dense vegetation. The man lives in a makeshift shack with his mother, who claims to be ‘a spiritual’ living there because they were ‘sent there by God’.

The man makes his living collecting recyclable materials and selling them. He sorts and stores his ‘wares’ under a clump of trees which conveniently hides his unsightly ‘collection’ from neighbours, where the average house goes for upwards of R2.5m.

“While we can’t see what they’re doing from the street, we can hear the noise they make when they fight and smell the smoke from their fires,” says Pretorius, adding that it is clear from the smell that they often burn more than just wood.

In conversation with the man, the Roodepoort Record learnt that they have lived here for about five years.

“The authorities don’t seem to be willing or able to do anything about the situation,” says Pretorius, who has in desperation started a petition to have the illegal occupants removed.

The petition has, in the week since its launch, garnered more than 150 signatures.

Also read: Petition to recommission Kite Street water tower submitted

“We pay a lot for the privilege to live here,” he says. “If we don’t do something about this situation, what is to stop more people from moving in? I am all for human rights, but what about my right to live in safety and tranquillity? That is what I pay for. If this is allowed to continue, our property values will be affected.”

The Roodepoort Record has approached JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla for comment, which will be published once received.