THE TENANT FROM HELL

A PORT ELIZABETH property owner’s five-year battle to evict an abusive "terror tenant” ended this week when the Grahamstown High Court confirmed an order to have the 69-year-old evicted from the property.

Greenbushes resident Janet Jordan has been battling since 2007 to evict the elderly woman she described as "intolerable”.

According to court documents, tenant Emily Daisy Lowery: 

Called Jordan "a piece of rubbish which had passed its sell-by date and should be thrown on a rubbish dump”; 

Assaulted Jordan four times and was eventually convicted of assault in July 2010;

Physically abused Jordan’s son; 

Threatened all visitors to the property; 

Refused to pay her share of the municipal account; 

Cut down trees and hedges on the property without Jordan’s permission; 

Removed a portion of the burglar alarm system which rendered it dysfunctional;

Bred boiler chickens on the property; 

Burnt refuse on the property; 

Played her television at an unacceptably high volume; 

and Scared off a potential buyer, who terminated the sale when he became frustrated at her refusal to leave the property. 

This week, Judges Nambitha Dambuza, Belinda Hartle and Nozuko Mjali agreed that Lowery’s behaviour entitled the property owner to cancel the agreement between them.

Jordan purchased the Tembani Road property from Lowery’s niece, Audra du Toit, in June 2006. The property was officially transferred onto Jordan’s name three months later.

Part of the sale agreement was that Lowery, Du Toit’s aunt, be allowed to continue living on the property until her death or until she decided to move.

However, Jordan later concluded an oral agreement with Lowery requiring her to pay half the monthly municipal electricity charges and abide by all the terms relating to a tenant. But the relationship soured soon after Jordan bought the property.