Zane Village, another warning against informal estate agents.

Another warning against informal estate agents. Zane Village, Secunda, Mpumalanga

This Is a first-hand account of my experiences residing as tenant in Zane Village, Secunda, since 19 September 2016 to 15 September 2017. At the end of April 2017 there was the smell of marijuana in the complex Zane Village. I suspect it was someone on the stairwell next to my flat but as it stands I was blamed for it. This did not concern me as an investigation would have revealed that I did not have marijuana in my possession, however there was no investigation and instead the agent, representing the company that owns the complex, started giving out my personal information as justification for the blame. My two principle accusers were the tenants in G12 and C8, both of whom harboured personal resentment towards me as would later become evident. The tenant in G12 had previously made degrading remarks about the state of my flat, even though I had helped her on the day she had moved in by borrowing her a plug adapter and giving her the agent’s number for her to activate her prepaid electricity meter. After the marijuana incident, she openly called for my eviction. In a discussion with a woman I thought to be an agent at the time, the tenant in G12 made the statement “You have to move him. He has to go!”. On 26 May 2017, the tenant in G12 told the tenant in G13 exactly who I was and where I worked, in addition to admitting to him that she “looks” into my flat when I am not there. When I asked the tenant in G13 about this he denied knowing of it but later confirmed it when he warned the tenant in G12 that I knew of her transgression. On 29 May 2017, I sent the agent a letter of complaint concerning the release of my personal information to other tenants. In her reply, she gave me written assurance that there are no other agents, that only she has access to my personal information and that it could not have come from her. She then suggested I ask the other tenants where they got my personal information. On 3 June 2017, the Saturday of the same week, the tenant in C8 discussed the letter of complaint I had sent the agent with a group of strangers. He referred to me as a “***ken mofkop” (****ing ***got) with a “ryk ***ken pa” (rich ****ing dad) and mockingly warned other tenants not to bother me or they too will get warnings. He later stated; “Selfs sy ryk pa gaan hom nie dan kan beskerm nie.” (Even his rich dad won’t be able to protect him then.) At the time, I assumed this was about the marijuana and I didn’t think much of it, but as his comments took on a more personal nature and became increasingly threatening I started to doubt that this was what he had meant. He continued to refer to me as a “mofkop” up until 7 September 2017 when he asked an unknown person; “So die mofkop trek nou uit?” (So, the ***got is moving out?). I suspect this question was directed at a representative of the company that owns Zane Village and that they were aware of this tenant’s hostility towards me. During the following two months, the continued hostility of the tenants in G12 and C8 spread to the other tenants. The tenant in G12 started accusing me of being a danger to her daughter, at first saying that I was giving her asthma by smoking in my flat, two flats from her. When this did not get the reaction she wanted, she started telling other tenants it was because of my “issues”. Her claim to my “issues” must have gained popularity with the other tenants to such an extent that a man came to speak to the tenant in G13 about the danger I was to a small child, stating that I “clearly has issues”. By this time, I had been living in Zane Village for more than nine months. The tenant in C8 later commented on my age, again revealing that he either had unrestricted access to my personal information or that the agent was continuing to share my personal information with him, like she had shared my correspondence to her with him. On the night of 14 August 2017 after I had a bad coughing bout due to a seasonal cold the tenant in C8 loudly commented; “Vrek! Vrek! Vrek!” (Die! Die! Die! The Afrikaans word “vrek” is associated with the dying of animals.). Due to his past remarks and access to my personal information and correspondence with the agent I could not ignore this. On 17 August 2017, I contacted the owner of Zane Village to arrange a meeting with him regarding his agent’s release of my personal information and the consequences thereof. During the telephonic conversation, he told of a WhatsApp group for the complex, the first I had heard of any such group. I met with the owner on 24 August 2017 at his offices. When I told the owner of the tenant in C8’s knowledge and discussion of the letter of complaint I had sent the agent, the agent acted in a confrontational manner, demanding of me how the tenant in C8 would know of the letter I had sent her. After revealing that the agent is his niece and that he absolutely trusts her I saw no reason to try and further explain the situation at Zane Village. The night of 15 September 2017, I overheard another threatening conversation regarding myself between the tenant in C8 and what I believe to be a representative of the company that owns Zane Village. The individual I believe to be a representative of the company that owns Zane Village made the comment; “Hy moenie dink hy gaan weg kom nie.” (He shouldn’t think he is going to get away.) This conversation didn’t take place at apartment C8, where the previous comments had been made and I suspect the agent had shared the content of my meeting with the owner with the tenant in C8 as well. This was the last night I slept on the premises, realizing that to remain in Zane Village would be to knowingly put myself at risk. I had arranged for the inspection of the flat on 26 September 2017 at 09h00. I arrived at Zane Village at 08h45 and by 09h15 the agent had not yet arrived and had not contacted me. I left the keys with one of the cleaners and no formal inspection of the flat was done. The agent later admitted that the representative of the company that owns Zane Village had arrived after 09h15. That I have never met the man who was supposed to meet me was strange, especially after the comments made on 7 September 2017 and 15 September 2017. I did not do anyone harm at Zane Village and before May 2017 I doubt any of the other tenants had reason to complain about me. In return, my private life has been a common topic of degrading and threatening discussions among the other tenants for months and my personal information has been given to an acquaintance of representatives of the company that owns Zane Village, a tenant they knew was hostile to me. In addition, my rent to the company that owns Zane Village has never been late and has always been paid in full. I have never received a statement as proof of payments received from the company that owns Zane Village despite having requested statements on two occasions, once by SMS to the agent on 30 September 2016 and once verbally during the first month of occupation. This company has access to all my personal information, a great deal of parents’ personal information (including their residential address), my financial states and my father’s financial states and has ignored a written request for a signed statement that they will not release any further personal information. Due to past experiences, this hostility only started to affect my daily life after several months and by then my contract with the company that owns Zane Village had almost expired. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation it is very important to be aware of your surroundings and to never react emotional or irrational. Take notes of comments, the dates on which the comments had been made and from where the comments had originated from. Make sure to tell friends and family about what you have heard. First try and go through the correct channels, if this fails and you feel the threat is real remove yourself from the premises. If the threats remain persistent but indirect contact the Rental Housing Tribunal. The Rental Housing Tribunal can then act as mediator, especially when the landlord or representatives of the landlord is involved. If threats become direct or physical or your property has been damaged remove yourself from the premises and report it to the police. Vehicle number plates are an easy and efficient way for authorities to identify an individual. Don’t photograph vehicle number plates as this may provoke aggression, make a note of the number plates and a brief description of the vehicle and then photograph the note. The easiest way to avoid a situation like this is to only deal with well-known agencies like Rawson, Seeff or Perfektum. Agents from these companies can be held accountable for their actions and are unlikely to encourage hostility. I hope this review will serve as public record of my experience at Zane Village and stand as a warning to anyone dealing with informal estate agents.

Kind regards Eugene, G14 Zane Village, Secunda