Lizahn Bowers
An abandoned Prasa building which has been taken over by homeless people is causing problems for Observatory residents.
The property at 58 Kotzee Road has been vacant for about three to four years said resident Kallie Doran. The property has been stripped with everything stolen from door frames, to windows to floorboards, the gate, locks and the electric fencing, she said.
The windows and window frames of the house were stolen.
Image: supplied
Ms Doran moved into the area in 2023 and says the building was already vacant then.
“The property has one brick house but also a row of five container homes which were put up there by a tenant that had taken a lease on the property with Prasa, with the intention of opening student accommodation. The tenants invested millions in the project and, at first, things went really well. But three months after the accommodation was up and running and filled with students the whole project came to an abrupt halt when the water and electricity were disconnected," she said.
Ms Doran said there had been homeless people occupying this property continuously for the past few years.
“It is hard to say how many homeless people there are as there as they come and go. They make fires at night and in December 2023 one of the fires got so out of hand that the roof of the permanent structure (the actual house) was burned. My property borders with this and it was a very close call for us,” she said.
The roof of the home was destroyed in a fire.
Image: supplied
Ms Doran said she and other neighbours had written to the ward councillor who was aware of the property, to find out who was responsible for handling the property but said they had not received an adequate response. She said they did not know what the next steps would be, as no one wanted to step up to tackle the issue hands on.
“At this point in time the general attitude of authorities is that because the property is owned by Prasa there is nothing that can be done. Our ward councillor has had years to address this. We are not government employees and we do not know what is the correct avenue to follow in order to get the appointed party to do their work,” she said.
Ward 57 councillor Yusuf Mohamed said he has received multiple complaints about this building which was becoming a real criminal threat to the surrounding residents.
“One of the major challenges is that the access being used is along the railway line and not from the road entrance. This makes policing the property very challenging,” he said.
Woodstock police chief Colonel Delven Matroos said concerns over the property were raised with the police at a sector meeting earlier this month. He said an observation of the property was conducted by the police and Prasa members.
“No crimes have been reported that we are aware of. With our visit to the premises we found five homeless people. Operations are ongoing with Prasa to profile these persons,” he said.
Prasa spokesperson Zinobulali Mihi said: “We currently are unable to provide a response as we are doing our internal processes first, in handling the property in question."