Cedric Jacobs, a retired businessman and grandfather, puts his life on the line to guard an old manor house in the dead of night. And he is not alone.Dozens of residents from the quiet suburb of Glenhaven in Cape Town are taking turns to prevent the demolition and pillaging of a building they believe is more than 80 years old.The house is on seven hectares that is being cleared to build about 900 flats after being sold by the Athlone School for the Blind Association when it found itself heavily in debt.Association chairman the Rev Bryan Beck said heritage authorities had given the green light for the demolition of the house.Neighbouring home owners, most of them retired professionals, believe the planning and rezoning process was fraught with irregularities, including a lack of "thorough public participation".Jacobs is "extremely anxious" about the plans and the apparent disregard for the house, which he says holds important historical value to a community that once included anti-apartheid activist and cleric Allan Boesak.The house has already been stripped bare inside, and criminals are on the prowl for remaining copper pipes or fixtures."My mother-in-law is a devout Anglican. She remembers when the ministers used to stay at the house when they came to visit. A lot of parishioners have a serious bond to this house," said the 66-year-old.Ricardo Persens, chairman of the Glenroma Forum, which represents residents, said they were shocked when letters were issued by the association this month informing them about the clearing of the land for flats.Residents believe the development will put strain on infrastructure, and negatively affect the more than 400 pupils at the school on the property - the only school in the country for blind children of colour when it was started by the Anglican Church in the 1920s.Several, including Desmond Naude, said they had donated to the school and driven fundraising events to keep its doors open. They had approached government entities and the public protector.However, Beck said selling had been the only viable option after the school's state subsidy was cut so dramatically that at one point it could not afford to feed the children in its hostel."This is a lifeline for us. We've already bought 15 apartments to ensure our sustainability."Johan van der Merwe, the City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for spatial planning, said due process, "including obtaining the relevant approvals from various applicable departments", had been followed.He said Heritage Western Cape had confirmed that no approval was required for demolition of the old manor house...