Every week I walk past a few properties in our neighbourhood that are so dilapidated and unkempt that they look unfit for human habitation.
All of them are occupied by owners who either inherited the property or bought it from previous owners.
By contrast, there are properties that are pristine and beautiful next to these dilapidated properties.
These owners are all hardworking people who are doing their best to keep their homes and yards, and even the municipal pavements, up to an acceptable level of decency.
But when Mr B and his partner sit on the pavement on crates in front of their dilapidated house and yard, with bottles of beer in both their hands and some empty bottles lying at their feet, drinking and loudly shouting meaningless comments to passersby, it brings the bitter taste of resentment in you to the fore.
And one wonders, could the money spent on alcohol, cigarettes and drugs not be used to keep the appearance of their properties up to acceptable standards?
The rumour mill in this small community has it that most of these derelict property owners have some form of employment and income, but they seem to prefer spending their hard-earned money on meaningless hedonistic activities that are detrimental to their well-being.
How do communities address these issues? Do we even have a right to judge these people for their total disdain of propriety?
Emmy Holliday, Somerset West
