Milnerton residents say they will fight the by-law which they believe will allow more development in the area.
They have had problems with the building of boarding houses on single residential units.
The worst hit areas are Summer Greens, Sanddrift and Phoenix.
New developers reportedly make applications with the City and don’t state that they are building a boarding house, which then places strain on the infrastructure.
The Milnerton Central Residents Association said: “We protested and formed a task team but nothing has happened.
“Ward 4 is under siege by criminal developers - a network of ‘criminal’ developers is targeting our area and they are turning our once peaceful neighbourhoods into crime-ridden zones by illegally establishing boarding houses.
“Even though boarding houses are prohibited in areas zoned as Single Residential (SR1), these developers are submitting fraudulent applications under the guise of accommodating ‘growing families’ but in reality, they’re building boarding houses. The result? Overloaded infrastructure, skyrocketing crime, and a devastating collective loss of billions in property value for residents.”
The association said they have tried to fight back. In May last year, the community staged a protest.
“This is where a list of 160 problem properties was handed to Deputy Mayor Alderman Eddie Andrews. Residents demanded urgent action against illegal construction and land use.
“In response, Alderman Andrews initiated a task team of residents and City officials to tackle the issue. Despite several task team meetings, including those attended by the Deputy Mayor and senior officials, progress has been frustratingly slow.”
The association says they have joined forces with other associations to oppose these by-law amendments, calling on the mayor to allow more time for meaningful public participation.
“We refuse to let the City's by-laws infringe on our constitutional rights to property, health, and safety. If the City doesn’t act, the incidents of residents taking matters into their own hands will only increase. We must stand together to protect our community.”
Ward councillor Anthony Benadie said when there is no plan, no indication as to the kind of capacity that the infrastructure is going to have to serve, it puts a huge strain on the sewer and water supply system.