Serious implications of empty houses

DERELICT houses with overgrown gardens turn the streets of the city into an eyesore.

But, rather ominously, there is far more that meets the eye than just the ugly sight of abandoned homes.

Besides the prospect of health and hygiene issues and the spread of disease, a vacant house poses any number of threats.

The very lives and well-being of residents unfortunate enough to live nearby, are seriously at risk.

A vacant house is a ticking time bomb of criminal activity, placing more strain on already over-burdened policing units.

Vagrants find shelter there and the armed and dangerous criminal element finds a convenient hideout – close to the places they target.

In the meantime, thieves also strip the houses bare. Anything valuable, nailed down or not, is carted off.

Other social evils find a place to flourish behind these run-down facades of neglect, out of view of the general public.

Empty houses are used as dens of perverts and paedophiles who lure unsuspecting children and female victims.

Far from being just an unpleasant picture, there are also economic implications for neighbours whose property value suffers as a consequence being bordered by a hovel.

In the past the municipality would clean up the property and bill the owner, but this process seems subject to long delays and it then falls to frustrated members of the community to take charge and do a spot of spring cleaning to the betterment of a neighbourhood.

On investigation, most of these neglected homes are State-owned, namely by the Department of Public Works (PWD).

When occupants such as police or government employees have moved out, failure to quickly replace them leaves the homes empty and vulnerable.

Given the general shortage of accommodation, one asks why this situation occurs.

While some government departments are making welcome progress, others such as PWD appear to lag far behind and are among the highest debtors on most municipal accounting sheets, with the City of uMhlathuze Exco recording over R5-million owed by the State on the mid-year budget assessment.

Some serious change of mindset is required, for the sake of proper service delivery to ratepayers.