Bluff slum house raises ire following murder

“JUSTICE is slow to act”. These are the words of frustrated Bluff Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson, Andy Rossell, regarding the problematic increase of slum houses following a murder on Kingsclere Road, Bluff at the weekend.

Brighton Beach police spokesperson, Captain Louise le Roux, confirmed that a man was killed on the premises on Friday night, 31 January. “It is alleged the man was chased and attacked by community members at the house in question and succumbed to his injuries. Although it is not clear what exactly transpired, there is speculation that the man had assaulted a woman which resulted in community members retaliating and attacking him. Detectives and police members are investigating the cause of the murder,” she said.

“The property on Kingsclere Road is one of our problem houses on the Bluff. The house has become another squatter camp. It appears that the owner has abandoned the house and he hasn’t been able to remove the squatters from the premises. Meanwhile the neighbouring residents on Kingsclere are very upset with their frustration increasing every day. These guys party all night and it is an absolute nightmare for neighbours along the road. Although our hands are tied for the most part, the CPF and the police are trying to at least ensure that no criminal activities take place and we do our regular patrols. It is a huge problem that needs to be addressed urgently. Unfortunately action can only take place when the owner of the premises applies for, and is granted a court order to have the squatters removed,” said Rossell.

Bluff councillor JP Prinsloo, said that dealing with slum houses, derelict buildings and general land-use management issues within the ward and throughout the city has increasingly become a major challenge. “In order for these types of issues to be addressed effectively, it requires the full commitment and cooperation from the city’s Land-use Management Department and all its supporting line departments. If one of these role players don’t perform their specific task in addressing these issues, illegal land use will not be resolved. Currently this is the case throughout the city and some departments do not see the urgency or the value of engaging with their colleagues to ensure that they rid the city of these types of issues.”

Prinsloo further shared that for more than two and a half years he together with the Ward 66 Committee and the South Durban Basin ABM have been calling meetings with all the relevant departments in an attempt to coordinate these operations ourselves.

“We have had successes in addressing some of these types of issues but the vast majority of them including Kingsclere Road, Hilltop Road and Donald Road is still outstanding. During the Ward Committee’s first sitting of 2020 we discussed how best to handle and resolve these pressing issues, particularly the slum houses across the entire ward.
“In order for any of these action steps to be successful we will require the assistance and input of Bluff community members. I want to urge community members with the necessary land-use management skills, knowledge or expertise to join our task team and assist us with eradicating these types of properties. Email ward66@ethekwini.org if you are interested.”

Prinsloo assures the Bluff community that these issues are a top priority in 2020 and every effort will be made to ensure that these types of issues are addressed.

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