Dear Sir

I refer to the article in the Property and Finance section of your esteemed newspaper titled “It’s all smiles again at Clare Estate.

Property values up after informal residents leave” dated January 11-15 2006 wherein the Clare Estate area has risen in property value after the residents of the informal settlements had vacated from the now vacant land. I wish to add the following.

In 1999, when my company transferred me to Johannesburg, I had no reservations about what I was going to leave behind.

My family and I were virtual prisoners in our own home in Clare Road, Clare Estate.

Driving through the entrance of Clare Road was a risk. You often found informal residents playing soccer on the road. This went on till late in the evening. Also the entrance looked more like an unkempt industrial site, a health hazard to residents. Even though the school my children attended was just a stone’s throw away, my wife personally transported them back and forth. She waited until they had entered the school gate. The violation of our rights added too much pressure to our daily routine.

After a recent drive, I had to ask myself if I was in another area of Clare Estate.

There is now order and a sense of calmness in the streets. The informal shacks have been demolished and the road is serving its original purpose.

But what really surprised me was the man whom I once despised was instrumental in making that change. Jayraj Bachu, the ward councillor of the area, and I never really got on. We were always at each other’s throats.

Perhaps I am too quick to judge people without giving them a chance to prove their mettle.

Instead of judging people, let us work with them to improve the quality of our life.

S Naidoo
Clare Estate