Abandoned property a concern to Rosenttenville residents
The property was burnt by residents in 2016 because of alleged illegal dealings that were happening on the property.
A VACANT and burnt down property in Rosettenville has been a worry to local residents because of building materials that has blockaded Berg Street since 2016.
The residents are frightened and are not at ease because building material on the sidewalk makes it difficult for cars to manoeuvre freely. The property was burnt by residents in 2016 because of alleged illegal dealings that were happening on the property. Residents believe that even children can get hurt by the materials that are lying on the streets.
The owner of the property is unknown and residents don’t even want to entertain the idea of the former owners who were allegedly conducting illegal dealings as they might be the ones trying to renovate the house.
“We as the residents want the building materials removed and the house to be occupied because, if it is empty like this, people might get raped and killed there. So, the councillor should do something about this,” said Tony Rodriguez, a local resident.
Councillor Michael Crichton from Ward 56 explained: “Just over a year ago about 15 properties were burnt down by angry protesters in Rosettenville, one of which was 62 Berg Street. It was alleged that these properties were being used as drug dens and brothels by illegal immigrants.
“However, since the properties have been burnt down we have now faced another challenge. Almost all of these properties are unsafe since the burnt down structures are unstable and the stands are neglected. This has in some instances caused misplaced people to move into them.
“In other cases, they have become a haven for drugs and there has been a tendency where people use these stands as toilets which causes a health hazard for the neighbours,” he said.
“In light of this, I have been working with various city departments such as Environmental Health, building control, EMS, and Group Forensics to serve notices on the owners to get them to clear these stands and notify the city of their future intentions for the property. The city might have to take over some of these properties like they did with the hijacked buildings in the inner city. Group Forensics has informed me that they are making progress with their investigations,” said Crichton.
He added that he will follow up on the case of 62 Berg Street house.
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