FOR only R500 you can rent a room in this abandoned school and for R5 000, you can buy it.
Residents have hijacked what used to be an arts boarding school, Soshanguve Central High School, in Tshwane and turned it into a residential building.
When the SunTeam recently visited, it found all the rooms occupied. A community leader said: “This is our home and we hustle to have electricity. Actually, we have izinyoka.” A resident said rent was paid to the leaders, who claimed to own it. Another resident said: “It’s so easy here. You buy an apartment and when you decide to leave, you sell it.”
Samson Mpela (56) said the occupants didn’t pay for water or power.
Education spokesman Steve Mabona referred Daily Sun’s inquiry to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure since it was no longer a school but a building. In a statement sent to Daily Sun, the public works department said: “According to the Deeds Office, that portion of the land is owned by Department of Human Settlements.”
However, human settlements couldn’t be reached by the time of going to print.
