Verulam residents are living in fear after a property on Mountview Drive has allegedly been turned into a drug den following an incomplete demolition which they say has left them to become a sitting target for criminals.
The residents place the blame at the door steps of the eThekwini Municipality which they allege to have used a contractor to demolish the house, to make way for the construction of an overhead pylon. The residents say that the incomplete tearing down of the semi-detached house leaves them vulnerable to attacks from vagrants who now occupy the space to consume drugs and partake in other illegal activities. Bisham Devchand, a resident, said they are not happy with the work done by the contractor. “They did a haphazard job and the project is still incomplete. They were supposed to reinforce the wall that joins the adjacent neighbour’s home but everything was just broken down and left to wither away. The tiles were not completely removed and this affects the adjacent neighbour.”
Devchand said residents were not informed of the project. “Most of us didn’t know what’s going on or what they are going to build here. Another concerning issue is that the township roads and the municipal land is not properly maintained by the eThekwini Municipality. It’s as if the government doesn’t care about us. There are no street cleaners or people to maintain stormwater drains. The bushes are over grown making it the perfect hiding spot for criminals and the community don’t feel safe at all. Why is it that the municipality invests their time and money in richer areas while communities like ours just fall by the way?” Chris Nagaih, another member of the community, said the incomplete demolition is an eyesore. “The construction workers took no pride in their job. It seems as if officials didn’t check or take interest in the completion of a task as important as this. The demolition isn’t complete and a second wall was supposed to be built to ensure the house next to it does not fall. The foundation was supposed to be completely removed and the place cleaned of all the rubbles. The roof is not properly fixed and timber is exposed to rain and dew. As we a community we just hope nobody gets hurt due to this shoddy workmanship.”
Councillor Johnson Chetty said he was not informed by the officials of their intent. “I got involved when the home was vandalised and occupied by vagrants awaiting demolition. I applied pressure on the authorities and eventually the house was demolished but without my knowledge as per council protocol. About a month ago, I received a complaint about this property which by now was demolished. I was shocked at my findings. The quality of the finished product was shocking to say the least. The concrete floors were intact, a portion of the walls were still attached to the original building, the roof tiles were falling off and timber battens were decaying.” Chetty said he contacted the area building inspector as well as an official who was originally tasked to oversee the demolition. “The official had conceded that the workmanship was not of an acceptable standard. The worrying thing is that the original building has been left with a single course of brickwork, despite it now becoming an external wall. Clearly the final product doesn’t comply with engineer specifications.
The original building can become destabilized. The official promised to take corrective actions however how would he even sanction payment to the service provider without doing a site inspection? I have informed his superiors via email that this is a blatant violation of gazetted legislation. It would seem that misappropriation of public money is evident in virtually all spheres of government. I am pessimistic about corrective measures taking place anytime soon.” Despite several attempts made to reach the municipality for comment, they were yet to revert back by the time of print.
