The Department of Land Reform and Rural Development has decided to send officials to investigate a house in Punt Road, Schaapkraal, which residents said is being used for drug dealing.

The department’s Acting Chief Director Nyameko Mgoqi confirmed the move in a message to Strandfontein ward councillor Elton Jansen.

Jansen shared the message in an update to residents on his WhatsApp channel. It read: “The Office is dispatching officials to conduct an investigation and provide recommendations. Lastly, I will check with our management team regarding a follow-up engagement.”

City inspectors called in

Jansen said he had reported the house as a problem building with the City’s Safety and Security Directorate.

He asked the City’s building inspectors to investigate and declare the building unsafe for people to live in. This would put pressure on the property owner, which is the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development.

“I will keep you posted on developments on this ongoing matter,” said Jansen on his WhatsApp channel.

Background

The house at 57 Punt Road sits close to the boundary between Philippi and Strandfontein. Residents have linked it to drug dealing, drug use, gang activity and shootings in the area.

Jansen started a petition on 23 July calling for the occupants to be evicted and the house to be demolished. It gathered more than 1 000 signatures within hours and peaked at about 1 300.

The property is on the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development’s asset register, which means it is owned by the government. However, the people living there claim they have the right to stay.

A meeting on 5 August brought together Jansen, department officials including Mgoqi, Kay September and Andre Booysen, and community representatives. The department asked for three weeks to investigate and a follow-up meeting was set for the first week of September.

Police have carried out several raids on the property. The City previously dealt with it through its problem-building process, but no lasting solution was found.

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