Cape Town - Tempers flared in Mitchells Plain on Monday as angry residents accused the City of Cape Town of being liars and leaving them to suffer with “the neighbour from hell” as he continues to destroy his council home.
The notorious house in Elephant Street, Eastridge, has been dubbed the “house of horrors” after residents provided proof, showing the tenant making fires inside the house, smoking drugs and removing all the plumbing and electrical wires.
Earlier this month, they made a desperate plea to the City to demolish the house after the tenant was found removing concrete bricks from the foundation, causing the house to become unstable and dangerous to surrounding homes.
Residents said they saw the house “swaying” when the wind blows.
At the time, the tenant, Magadien Abrahams, told the Daily Voice that he is an artisan and wanted to see what was behind the bricks.
He admitted to smoking buttons but said it was his business.
When the Daily Voice went upstairs, two adults and a 15-day-old baby could be seen sleeping on dirty mattresses on the floor.
The steel railing had been removed from the shaky staircase and large buckets of urine and faeces stood everywhere.
After Mayco member for Human Settlements, Malusi Booi, agreed to review the tenant and call for his mental health to be assessed, residents say they thought the matter would be resolved.
He said the property is rented out to Abrahams’ disabled wife whose whereabouts are unknown.
On Monday, neighbours got a big fright when City officials arrived to put up a metal container on the property for Abrahams and his family to move into.
An angry mom, who asked not to be named, says: “We knew they were talking k** the last time but today we got such a skrik (fright) to see them bringing in a container for him after he broke down that house.
“We don’t mind for the children because there is a small baby in that house.
“Maar daai man is mal (But that man is crazy) and now they give him a container so he can further break down that house. The City has failed us again and they caused this problem when they didn’t take action against him.”
Booi says the container is a temporary measure: “The City is in the process of addressing the circumstances currently under investigation in terms of the conditions of the Agreement of Lease. The structural assessment must still be completed.”
He says the mental health assessment is still under investigation and the City is following due process to remedy the situation.