Elderly residents of Silwerkroon frustrated over broken lift
“What can we do to be heard?”
RESIDENTS of Silwerkroon flats have been struggling for a couple of years, which they claim is due to lack of regular maintenance of dysfunctional lift by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM)
This is one of the reasons why the lift is also out of order again. On January 30, a meeting between ward councillors and residents was held to protest against the fact that the lift was till not functional due to metro’s incompetence.
Alderman Bruna Haipel and councillor Philip de Lange spoke about the matter. “Once again the EMM has let the elderly down,” said Alderman Haipel.
In 2017, the senior citizens were without a lift for about ten months. The lift was then repaired and worked well until it broke down again on December 3. It was also on the day the residents discovered the municipality had not paid Schindler Lifts an amount of R12 710.59 since February. The amount is still outstanding.
Elderly suffering
Ann Haymes (79), the woman who was stuck in the lift on December 3, said she offered to pay for the repair work on the lift as she thought that it was a fuse or something small, but workers from Schindler Lifts said that they could not come out due to their contract having expired, and that the EMM owed them money.
De Lange told residents he would raise the Silwerkroon lift issue publicly, by talking about it to the mayor during the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) council meeting which took place on January 31.
Only few of the residents of Silwerkroon could attend the meeting due to being unable to climb the stairs from the third floor.
Residents told the RECORD that emergency personnel had to use blankets to get a resident down from the third floor after he had a medical emergency condition. Paramedics could not get their strecthers up the stairs. The same resident could not, due to failing health, return to her flat until the lift was fixed.
Polly Oosthuizen (84) has a heart condition and is not allowed to climb stairs, but she lives on the second floor. On photos it can be seen by just looking at her legs how bad climbing the stairs was affecting her. “I don’t have any other choice as I need my medication and I need things from the shops weekly,” she said.
“This is unacceptable. It is as if EMM is ignoring us. Why don’t they just for now get the old lift to work again until the installation of the new lift. What should we do to be heard?” asked the residents.
Residents also feel that Haipel has tried everything she can, but still no action has been taken.
“I don’t know why the EMM is causing these elderly people so many hardship and this is no way for any senior citizen to live,” said Haipel.
Help offered
Several independents and companies specialising in lifts have offered to fix the lift free of charge. One company even offered to maintain it for one full year, at no charge. The CoE has raised ‘objections’ relating to insurance issues, among others, even though the said companies were willing to sign a waiver, and to take full responsibility for fixing the lift.
In an email to Aderman Haipel, Aubrey Mokgosi of the EMM’s human settlements said they would resume with the installations in January. They hope the installation would be finalised by June.
According to Mokgosi, Schindler Lifts have been requested to prepare another contract, but this may take long.
“Let us hope that this issue gets resolved sooner as many of these elderly residents make use of walkers and wheelchairs, and others are not mobile because of bad joints due to age and should not have to suffer in such a fashion,” said Haipel.
*The RECORD have approached EMM for comment and will publish it as soon as it is received.
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70 elderly residents of Silwerkroon Old Age Home unable to use lift again
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