The header deserves a fat article but hopefully past articles here and on Knysna Crime Watch will serve that purpose temporarily. The simple goal now is to show you the state of 2 houses that are close to Knysna Tourism and alongside two B&B’s.  It’s a poor display for tourists, a discouragement to potential homeowners and a statement that life for residents in Knysna is unsafe. Who of you still go for walks in your neighbourhood at night? And let’s not forget that it was in this same street that a teenager was attacked in broad daylight.

The house above, found on the corner of Fichat and League streets, is the holiday home of a foreigner which has stood empty for over a year. Vandals and vagrants make the option to board up entrances understandable but it makes the neighbourhood uglier and is a terrible advert to visitors to our town.

The gallery below is of a house 50 metres away, in Fichat Street, that has been empty for approximately 4 years. ‘Empty’ isn’t the best description as there were vagrants when i visited and the stench was intolerably alive. Apparently, it was a failed attempt by estate agents to do a property flip at the end of the boom. It squats below a double-storey guesthouse and near the offices of a law firm. The begging question is why has the Knysna Municipality allowed the problem to get out of hand? Why is urban decay not being fought?