A bunch of suburban houses in Buffalo City Metro (BCM) have been abandoned by their owners and are falling into ruin.
Five of the houses are in affluent Beacon Bay and one in Vincent. They have been vandalised and some invaded by vagrants.
Illegal occupants in one West Bank house said they had nowhere else to go.
Residents called the house a drug den.
In Beacon Bay five properties have been left to rot and have become an eyesore. Two are in Bonza Bay road while the other is in Fairview Place. Another is on the corner of Lark and Swift roads, and one is in Quenera Drive.
Residents have been complaining bitterly that these properties, which are in prime areas, have been drawing bad elements and are devaluing their properties.
A number spoke on condition of anonymity as they feared victimisation. One person said a house near a bushy area had rats and snakes and was occupied by people who were “dumping their human waste” on the floors.
“These are signs that the people who have occupied these houses are vagrants. No-one will buy a house in this area when they see this house. What is worse is that is happening in the most affluent suburb in East London,” claimed the neighbour.
A neighbour at the Fairview house, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said: “We want this to be torn down. One day we will find a dead person in this house. Come on BCM, do something.”
The house on the corner of Bonza Bay and Batting Roads is dirty, the grass unkempt and windows broken. A Ugandan in the house said she was renting a room in the house.
A half-used reel of electrical cable was lying in the yard, and 17 dagga bushes were growing in a small vegetable plot.
The house is owned by the Kacnis family, Dimitri Kacnis said.
He said they were planning to develop the place but there were delays.
In West Bank, a house believed to belong to a man who died years ago has been invaded by unemployed homeless people. Andy Gloy said: “This is our house because we don’t have anywhere we can call home. All we need is building material to revamp it.”
Dick Breytenbach, who calls him himself a “tenant”, and says he has stayed in the house for more than 10 years, says it is now their home.
“We know that the owner passed away a long time ago and he had no relatives. If he had those this house would have been in good shape. We moved in because we are homeless. We are not into drugs but are a bunch of skilful individuals who are unfortunately unemployed,” said Breytenbach. . “When you are poor, people tend to associate you with all the social ills. We are not bad at all here.”
Another eyesore house, in Vincent at Beatty Road, has been abandoned for more than 10 years. Today windows and doorways are bricked up.
The properties have been stripped of all electrical fittings and plumbing pipes.
BCM’s DA Ward 28 councillor, Marion Mackley, said they e-mailed BCM, metro urging officials to implement a bylaw which guides them on steps that can be taken.
“There's a problematic building in Bonza Bay road that use to be the ablution block. The building itself is in a disgusting state — there is human faeces all over the walls and floors,” she said.
She said a murder was committed in the property about a year ago. “There is now a chap there who is threatening residents with a knife. The municipality refuse to demolish the building because it is a ‘municipal asset’,” she said.
Beacon Bay Ratepayers Association chair Malcolm Symons said: “These houses could be occupied by vagrants. BCM should act.”
BCM spokesperson Samkela Ngwenya and his team could not be reached for comment.
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