No progress on ‘hobo house’ dilemma
Property remains health risk and crime den, says CPF
FIVE months after neighbours first decried the half-built house in Krewelkring, which they claimed had become a health hazard, drug den and sleeping quarters for Richards Bay vagrants, the Meerensee Community Police Forum on Monday said not much has changed.
CPF patrollers in April raided the house following a flood of complaints, finding used condoms, human faeces, stripped electronics, trolleys, drugs, smouldering fires and rubbish scattered across the property.
Three men were seen fleeing into a nearby greenbelt.
After news of the suburban nightmare broke, owner of the house, South Africa Social Security Agency (SASSA) CEO Tokonazi Magwaza, started building a boundary wall, but CPF’s Corrie Pretorius said the house is still being inhabited by criminal elements.
‘The pool is a filthy health risk and although the owner reacted by starting to build a wall, which has also halted now, no effort has been made to clean up.
ALSO READ: Richards Bay ‘hobo house’ belongs to SASSA chief
‘We have notified the municipality and police as it is certainly effecting surrounding properties and continues to be a challenge in crime prevention initiatives.
‘The winter season has also ushered in a number of new homeless folk who inhabit this house and the incomplete buildings in Knorhaanbaai street. These people often turn to petty crime to survive.
‘This emphasises the need for a homeless shelter in Richards Bay.
‘With our warmer climate, this city is known for volumes of homeless folk and therefore we are in great need of such a facility.’
At the time of going to print, City of uMhlathuze Communications Manager Mdu Ncalane has not responded on the municipality’s plans to address neglected homes used as shelters in Richards Bay.
He recently did say the municipality acknowledges that the only available shelter in eSikahleni ‘is not enough’.
‘We strongly discourage the invading of empty houses by anyone, even if it is not homeless persons. Private properties remain private, even if there is no one inside,’ he said.
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