Johannesburg - American poet Robert Frost once wrote: “Good fences make good neighbours” - but that’s not the case with two families in Kagiso.
The owner of a daycare centre is at war with her neighbours for drilling a carport into their shared boundary wall, causing it to collapse and pose a danger to the children who attend the centre.
Jimaimah Monareng, owner of the Learn and Live Christian Educare Centre, says she is facing closure because of the problem.
“The wall was attached to the baby room and they drilled while the children were still in the room during the day. The children started screaming and the wall was cracking,” she told The Star.
Staff managed to move the babies from the room before it collapsed.
The children’s play area, which was next to the wall, also had to be moved to a different location to ensure their safety.
Engineer Callie Joubert, who examined the collapsed wall, stated the following in his report to the municipality: “As far as I’m aware, boundary walls are only supposed to act as a division between properties and should not be used as a structural element.
“This wall was never intended to stabilise a carport.”
Monareng says she has been fighting with her neighbours for two years.
In 2013, they added a few extra layers to the wall and then used it to support a braai and a spare room.
A document from Mogale City municipality, which has been seen by The Star, was given to the neighbour at the time, ordering her to produce an approved plan for the structures.
According to Monareng, this was never adhered to.
But this time, Monareng says, despite visiting the municipality at least five times to report the collapsed wall, no one has attended to her complaint.
To make matters worse, while the wall was down, the neighbours allegedly brought two pitbulls onto their property in the morning and then took them away again in the evening.
“The pitbulls were harassing the children. By the grace of God they weren’t bitten,” Monareng says.
She has since rebuilt a wall next to the original boundary wall. The Star is in possession of a letter sent by the crèche’s lawyer to the municipality, indicating that the wall was being built using the same approved plans that were used for the original wall.
But last week her neighbours again drilled a large carport into the wall.
“The children are now scared to come to crèche because they are scared of the drilling. On Monday, 19 were absent. They use industrial drills or grinders and we had to move the children from the room,” she said.
Monareng is organising for counsellors from the Teddy Bear Clinic to visit the children.
“The parents are complaining to me. Some children are still coming to school because they have nowhere to leave them. The crèche has been running for 25 years self-sustainably,” she said.
She has also approached her local councillor at ANC headquarters Luthuli House and even the public protector to help her solve the war between her and her neighbours.
“The day they accept they’re wrong and sorry, the problem will be solved,” she said.
When The Star tried to speak to Monareng’s neighbours on Wednesday, we were not allowed onto the property and were told by a man who claimed to be the owner’s son that she was sleeping.
We later phoned the owner and spoke to a man who refused to provide his identity, but appeared to be a resident at the house.
The irate man claimed Monareng was lying and she’d broken the wall herself.
“She can put whatever allegations she wants to put against me and you can publish it, no problem. She must go and get those Zulu guys who she said is going to kill us, we are ready with our guns,” he said.
“We’ve had enough of this witch, we’ve had enough of her. If it was possible, I’d take my house, remove it from here and take it very far so that one cannot see her.
“Can you get the feeling which we are having here now as a family?” he said before hanging up.
Nkosana Zali, spokesman for Mogale City Municipality, gave a vague response to the numerous questions sent to him by The Star.
“The municipality is aware of the complaint raised. As far as our records show, both residents were requested to provide the necessary plans to the municipality. We have not received the daycare centre’s yet,” he said.
The municipality wanted to do a thorough investigation, he claimed.
“Therefore, because the matter has not been concluded yet, and can only be concluded at the pace with which the parties co-operate with the process, we will afford the parties the opportunity to provide necessary documents to the municipality for finalisation,” said Zali.
The Star