Residents call for cleanup of shebeen
Following the arrest of a drug dealer in Sheffield Beach last week, homeowners living close to the Mkhize’s Tuckshop settlement have called for the area to be cleaned up.
A neighbour of the settlement contacted the Courier to say that residents of the few freestanding homes in the area feel threatened by the settlement residents and are aware that there is illegal activity going on.
These residents have started a petition to give weight to their appeal to get the settlement cleaned out.
The privately owned land on which the Mkihize Tuckshop settlement has developed, holds between 25 and 30 rooms that are rented out at R500 a month, despite the fact that there are no toilet facilities and there only is one shared tap.
Residents living close to this settlement in Sheffield Beach want the authorities to take action against illegal activity in the area.
Although there is no legal electrical supply, lights come on in the shacks in the evenings and neighbours say that their electrical power trips between 5pm and 6pm every night.
Over the years that the settlement has been there, relationships had generally been amiable, said neighbours, but they now say, “The influx of new people has spiraled out of control, and many unemployed people are moving in.”
Mkhize’s Tuckshop has been a well-known shebeen frequented by locals for after hours alcohol purchases for many years.
From recent events it appears that drugs are also available.
“There are all sorts of people coming in and out of the settlement day and night,” said a neighbour.
The formal residents know the owner of the land on which the Mkhize Tuckshop settlement is built, but their fear of repercussions prevents them from taking any action, as does their growing fear of the residents in the settlement.
“We are all victims of people using our driveways as toilets, of excessive noise, and of feeling that we are being watched,” said a homeowner.
The house nearest the settlement has been empty for months, as the owners could not live with the noise, inconvenience and fear of living next to the Tuckshop settlement.
“We have appealed to everyone imaginable and have got nowhere and we do not know where to turn next,” said a resident.
Municpal Communications manager Sifiso Zulu was asked for comment by email on Friday February 3, but has not replied.
