The vivid signage warning against trespassing on a vacant property belonging to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) on the corner Gewelhuis Avenue and Kanniedood Street in Allen’s Nek seems to have been ignored, according to a neighbouring resident.
The concerned resident, Jannie Strydom, whose property is a stone’s throw away from this vacant piece of ground with its huge but damaged fence, is extremely unhappy about the lack of maintenance on the property, which he said has lured vagrants.
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“I once asked one guy (a vagrant) walking into the property where he was going and he replied, ‘It’s not your property and you have no say in it’, and that is when I realised something had to be done about this problem,” he said.
“These guys sleep on this property and pose a security risk to our community, especially the schoolchildren who walk to and from school,” a concerned Strydom complained.
Previously, the Northsider published a warning from BCI Security, cautioning learners from Allen Glen High School against walking alone and in secluded areas following an incident in which a fellow learner was robbed, 4km away from the school.
“I worry most about the schoolchildren, because these people will start interfering with them,” he cautioned.
“They need to clean this property up at least once in a while,” he said, after learning that the property had only been cleaned up once, according to information he received from the previous home-owner of 16 years.
The worried resident said he had resorted to buying a chain and lock to prevent the vagrants from gaining access to the property; however, his attempts were short-lived as they started to make holes in the fences to get in and out.
Feeling defeated, Strydom approached the Ward 126 councillor, David Brand, for intervention. Brand said they have made lots of attempts to involve the GDE but have not been able to get to the department in charge of the property. “It’s not a municipal issue, it’s provincial; however, I’ve asked the regional director for Region C to intervene. He will attempt to establish an intergovernmental approach, because we have many other properties owned by the GDE going through the same issue. This is going to be a long road since we don’t have interaction with the entity,” he explained.
He added that a solution would be easier if the matter was related to roads since those entities (provincial and municipal) work hand in hand.
The GDE has been approached for comment. This is a developing story.
