Squatters 'left used condoms'
6 March 2010, 15:02
The situation at notorious city slum Senator Park has gone from bad to worse, says a flat owner whose recently renovated flat has been trashed.
In December Elan Hoffman spent R9 000 fixing up his flat to try to let it.
But this week he learnt that squatters had moved in and trashed the place, leaving used condoms, bottlenecks used for smoking drugs and a pool of urine on the newly sanded floor.
Hoffman's contractor, Gary Gorton, said a neighbour told him the police had kicked the door in during a raid some weeks ago.
After that the squatters arrived, stealing the light fittings and tearing shelves from walls.
This week there was no sign of them, although they had left a ratty blanket and old shoes behind in the flat.
When a Weekend Argus team accompanied Hoffman and Gorton into the building this week the stench of urine and dagga was overwhelming.
Two women propositioned the men on the filthy stairwell while cockroaches scurried along the dank passages.
Hoffman said the flat near Long Street, which he bought in 2006, was supposed to be an investment, but he couldn't find anyone to rent it and couldn't sell it, because banks would not give bonds for flats in the block.
He has to fork out R3 800 a month for the bond and a further R1 400 for utilities and the levy each month.
Hoffman has no idea what the levy is used for and hasn't been able to find out.
"The only people I could put in here are drug dealers or gangsters and obviously I wouldn't do that."
There are 168 owners of flats in Senator Park, but only 23 live in the block.
JP Smith, the city's mayoral committee member for safety and security, said the seven-storey block, whose entrance is in Keerom Street near the Cape High Court, would be the first candidate for the problem buildings bylaw which is expected to be passed at the end of the month.
Under the bylaw, owners of problem buildings could find themselves behind bars or facing fines of R20 000 or more if they failed to clean up their buildings.
Where the owner is not available or missing, the tenant can be held liable.
Police spokesman Captain Ezra October said there had been several recent raids on Senator Park.
Drugs confiscated included packets of tik, tik lollies and syringes, and several illegal immigrants were arrested.
On Thursday police arrested a suspect for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
The complainant was taken to Somerset Hospital for medical treatment following the assault.
October said that if anybody wanted to report a complaint regarding any malicious damage to their property, they could go to their nearest police station.
In December Elan Hoffman spent R9 000 fixing up his flat to try to let it.
But this week he learnt that squatters had moved in and trashed the place, leaving used condoms, bottlenecks used for smoking drugs and a pool of urine on the newly sanded floor.
Hoffman's contractor, Gary Gorton, said a neighbour told him the police had kicked the door in during a raid some weeks ago.
After that the squatters arrived, stealing the light fittings and tearing shelves from walls.
This week there was no sign of them, although they had left a ratty blanket and old shoes behind in the flat.
When a Weekend Argus team accompanied Hoffman and Gorton into the building this week the stench of urine and dagga was overwhelming.
Two women propositioned the men on the filthy stairwell while cockroaches scurried along the dank passages.
Hoffman said the flat near Long Street, which he bought in 2006, was supposed to be an investment, but he couldn't find anyone to rent it and couldn't sell it, because banks would not give bonds for flats in the block.
He has to fork out R3 800 a month for the bond and a further R1 400 for utilities and the levy each month.
Hoffman has no idea what the levy is used for and hasn't been able to find out.
"The only people I could put in here are drug dealers or gangsters and obviously I wouldn't do that."
There are 168 owners of flats in Senator Park, but only 23 live in the block.
JP Smith, the city's mayoral committee member for safety and security, said the seven-storey block, whose entrance is in Keerom Street near the Cape High Court, would be the first candidate for the problem buildings bylaw which is expected to be passed at the end of the month.
Under the bylaw, owners of problem buildings could find themselves behind bars or facing fines of R20 000 or more if they failed to clean up their buildings.
Where the owner is not available or missing, the tenant can be held liable.
Police spokesman Captain Ezra October said there had been several recent raids on Senator Park.
Drugs confiscated included packets of tik, tik lollies and syringes, and several illegal immigrants were arrested.
On Thursday police arrested a suspect for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
The complainant was taken to Somerset Hospital for medical treatment following the assault.
October said that if anybody wanted to report a complaint regarding any malicious damage to their property, they could go to their nearest police station.
- This article was originally published on page 8 of The Cape Argus on March 06, 2010
Pretoria
