Modern renovations are underway on the house in the picturesque village of Poulis, which has long been used as a dumping ground for discarded foodstuffs.
The village was declared a World Heritage Site in 1992 and has been turned into a tourist destination.
But the property has become increasingly neglected.
The area around the house has been transformed into a collection of shacks, sheds, sheds and storage sheds.
Some are covered in garbage, while others have been converted into restaurants and offices.
Some of the sheds are full of foodstuff, while some others have had their contents washed.
“I’m a little bit sad because I’ve always lived here and I think it’s a pity that we’re still living here and not going to be able to do something,” said local resident Sisak Vukotic, a resident of the house.
“But what can you do?
This place is our home, our home now is to go back to our village.”‘
It’s just like a war zone’ The village of Nkuruljana has been home to the Pouli family since its inception in the 19th century.
In 1990, the Poulsi family bought the house and built it as a small cottage, complete with a large shed.
The shed has been the site of a lot of fights and disputes.
“We’ve been fighting here for years.
When the Poulos were in power, they wanted to get rid of us, to remove us from the land, but we have to live here because we are our own people,” said Sisam Poulik, the village’s elder.
“So now, they want to put in a shed.
But it’s just as if a war is happening here.
They have no water, no electricity. “
There are no toilets in the shed.
They have no water, no electricity.
There are no roads in our area.
There’s no running water and there are no garbage cans.
It’s just one big shed.”
In May last year, a police team arrived at the house to evict the Polyis and their relatives from the property.
The eviction was carried out under the pretext that the Pulsis were breaking the terms of a lease that they had signed with the village council.
But in fact, the eviction was a “deliberate act of intimidation”, the local prosecutor, Laila Moktar said.
“This is a violation of the property rights of the Polsis, the right of a person who lives in a dwelling to use the premises, which is a basic right.
The property is under the jurisdiction of the police and the landowner,” she said.
The Poulists say they have a right to the property and to the land.
“It’s the right to live.
It is not the right for them to put the shed in front of us.
It will be a great shock to the community,” Sisasak Pouliki said.