Local newsMunicipalNews

War Room to boot Bluff blemishes

THE number of slum houses and vacant properties on the Bluff is on the increase, creating hazardous living situations for the surrounding residents.

A drive around the area reveals at least 12 derelict properties, slums, vacant plots or areas reported to be housing illegal activities. Neighbours report thefts, intimidation and unsanitary living conditions.

One woman said her house, which shares a border with a decrepit, empty property, was ransacked seven months ago and she has had an increased problem with rats coming into her home from over the wall.

Another Bluff family in Bluff Road lives in fear as they are terrorised weekly by a group of men who wander onto their property and steal their belongings. The home has been robbed five times in recent months. A second neighbour across the road said her home was also targeted recently. “Thankfully we weren’t home at the time, but I worry because my husband is in a wheelchair and would not be able to fend off any attackers.”

Other residents in the area have also experienced a surge in criminal activities in recent months. The house along Bluff Road has been empty for more than a year and despite assertions by the owner that the ramshackle home will be demolished, nothing has been done. Neighbours are certain the increase in criminal activity in the area is directly linked to the vacant property, which provides ample concealment for criminals.

“This state of affairs needs to be publicised as a way of conscientising property owners to appreciate the negative effects of their neglect on a neighbourhood. From a council point of view, the rates base is not helped by the prevalence of such eyesores. I should like to see punitive action taken by the council on property owners who allow their properties to decay and disintegrate in this fashion. To that end, I will be tabling a motion at the August meeting of the council,” said ward 66 councillor, Duncan du Bois.

According to Bluff Ratepayers Association chairman Ivor Aylward, Fynnlands especially has descended into chaos, with slum houses becoming the norm. “Brothels and drug dens operate, 50 or more people are crammed into one house with little or no sanitation and property values are plummeting. People who have lived in the area for many years are struggling to improve or sell their homes. With such degradation, there is very little opportunity for the area to be upgraded.”

At the first meeting of the Bluff’s ‘War Room’ last month, much of these problems were tabled for discussion. The War Room is the ‘Operation Sukuma Sakhe’ committee, which was formulated to integrate the services of the government to improve the lives of its citizens. The agenda included, among others, Metro housing in Donnelly Road, Wentworth; an unoccupied, overgrown plot in Bushland Road; an illegal tented church in Marine Drive and the derelict buildings opposite Fynnland station.

According to Duncan, these issues are a major concern and he is eager to see what happens. “The first meeting of the War Room proved to be a damp squib. Only low level officials from the municipality were present. A high ranking housing official, Mr Sibiya, has been appointed to be in attendance at the next meeting, however, so the Donnelly Road housing mess can be addressed and a plan of decisive clean-up action put in place.

I have made it clear that I am not interested in the War Room becoming just another paper shuffling post box,” said Duncan.

War Room secretary, Innocent Ndlovu said the first meeting went well, despite poor attendance. “We tabled many issues, including overcrowding and problem houses and I look forward to input from the municipality and having these Bluff blemishes dealt with.”

Going forward, Ivor hopes people sit up and take note of the impact their negligence has on their immediate neighbours and on the community as a whole and the residents suffering the consequences of this neglect live in hope that the end is near.

At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here.

Related Articles

Back to top button