Four suburban families and two small children, living in fear in their flats, say a “mentally disturbed” vagrant has been living on the veranda of their block of flats for nearly a month.
Tenants of Summit Mansions in Quigney said the man talked to himself and built fires on the stoep, which was piled with his bags and litter.
Tenants and civil servants Ludumo Cuntu, 55, and his wife Zameka, said the man also relieved himself on the stoep and pavement lawn.
When the Dispatch visited the block, they were hit with a powerful stench at the veranda entrance.
The front lawn was covered with nappies and a charred tyre.
Inside, the veranda was stacked along the sides with cereal boxes, whisky bottles, a large plastic bag full of rubbish, and empty milk containers.
The man’s makeshift bed of flattened cardboard was surrounded by the rubbish.
A 9mm toy gun was carefully placed under a small wooden board resembling a table.
During the interview with Ludumo at the veranda area, the man arrived bearing two full refuse bags.
The strong-looking man walked passed the Dispatch reporter while puffing on a cigarette and talking to himself.
When the Dispatch asked the man who he was and why he was living on the veranda, he ignored the reporter.
Zameka, who had arrived from work, stood for minutes outside holding her handbag, too scared to enter her own home, waiting for the man to offload more bags on the stoep and leave.
The man then walked across the street with an air of authority, only to return 10 minutes later with more bags of rubbish.
Zameka said she was late for work on Thursday because the man was causing a racket on the veranda and she had to try sneak past him.
“I left for work at 10am after the police arrived. He ran away when he saw a police van. We are under siege. We don't know what to do.”
Ludumo said: “I stole his axe while he went away and hid it inside my flat because I fear that he will hack someone.”
“When he has violent episodes, he bangs on the door and shouts that the house belongs to him. We don't even know this person. The police are doing nothing,” Ludumo said.
East London police spokesperson Captain Hazel Mqala said the police were investigating the incident.
Zameka said the landlord had promised to put up burglars bars after hearing about the problem...