With the sun blacked out by overgrown trees, the brittle roof on the brink of collapse and tall grass concealing scrapped cars, caravans and all manner of eclectic junk, an eerie sense of the unknown befalls you.
It is a feeling which would usually come with stepping into an abandoned house in a preternatural forest.
But this hair-raising experience can just as easily be found in the upmarket suburb of Summerstrand.
Avonmouth Crescent is home to a secret scrapyard in the form of a neglected, dingy but yet occupied property which, according to neighbouring residents, has seen their property values stagnate along the tree-lined street.
The double-storey house is instantly recognisable through the uncut grass looming above pristine neighbouring lawns.
In a scene reminiscent of a US TV show on hoarders, on arrival at the home you are met by a veritable jungle of couches, pallets, tyres, toilets and basins which line the driveway where three scrapped cars are parked and slowly disintegrating.
Looking in from the street, everything from bicycle tyres and bags to wood and plastic barricade the front door, while the house itself is seemingly on the brink of collapse with missing roof tiles, decaying window frames and peeling paint.
And while irate neighbours are livid about the state of the property, they are equally concerned for the wellbeing of owner John Sponneck.
Neighbour Trevor Davies said little had transpired since they initiated steps in 2016 in an effort to have the municipality take action.
However, the hoarding and gradual decline of the property began long before and has been ongoing for almost four decades, according to Davies.
Contacted on Friday, Sponneck requested the publishing of details on the state of his home be postponed, saying: “I have started cleaning the property this week – by next Sunday it should all be cleared.”
However, Davies and two other Avonmouth Crescent residents – all of whom have lived in the street for at least two decades – say they have heard it all before.
“This has been going on since we moved into our house in 1980. I only recently started formally complaining because I knew his wife was ill and didn’t want to add to it, but it is out of control,” Davies said.
“The yard is home to rats and snakes which we have seen and which sometimes visit on our property.
“I have raised my concerns several times with him [Sponneck] but there is always an excuse or a promise to clean up which never materialises.
“Besides being an eyesore and a fire and health hazard, my biggest concern is how it is affecting properties in the area.
“The recent municipal valuation roll said my house is worth R1.7m. And I had to challenge it because I know that’s not true because of this junkyard next door.”
Davies said the re-evaluated amount dropped his property value by R100,000 – to R1.6m – as a result, he claimed, of the neighbouring property.
“But I mean just imagine 38 years of watching my property being negatively affected by someone who couldn’t care less. Being woken in the early hours by the sound of an old, loud car starting up.
“We have tried everything to get him to clean but it’s no use. I am hoping the municipality will be able to assist but it has now been years and the property is still being allowed to look like this,” Davies said.
According to e-mail correspondence between Davies and municipal human settlements director of land use management Mthulisi Msimanga, the fire department was sent to inspect the property in 2017.
However, despite receiving a minor fine and warning about the state of the yard presenting a fire hazard, it has done little to deter Sponneck, who continues to collect and store a multifarious assortment of items.
While Sponneck declined to elaborate on the reasons why the property is so full, he conceded there were too many items, saying he was in the process of cleaning.
“I started this week and will be busy right through the weekend and next week cleaning and removing items from the yard,” he said.
“It should be finished by next Sunday and you are more than welcome to have a look.”
Asked to meet on Friday and illustrate the progress of the cleaning, he said: “I am not at home the whole of today [Friday]. I would love to meet with you [Weekend Post] next week and discuss all of this.”
An Avonmouth Crescent resident, who asked not to be named, said the situation had become too much for Sponneck to control as a retiree.
“I would definitely classify him as a hoarder, because this is not a normal situation.
“It has become so bad, sometimes he will load some things to throw away at the tip, but then somehow he ends up collecting things there and comes home with more than he left with.
“He really isn’t a bad guy, he has just been through a lot but, as much as I feel sorry for what is happening over there, it really is time for him to take action and clean.
“The caravans are so rusted already he needs a truck to take them – they can’t be towed.”
Another neighbour, who also asked to remain anonymous, said: “I have been here for 22 years and it has only become worse.
“It is such an eyesore and I don’t see it improving. He needs to either fix it up or move out. Things can’t continue like this.”
Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki did not to respond to questions on why no remedial action had been taken and what the municipality intends doing to get the homeowner to clean up his garden.