Residents of the Helen Joseph women’s hostel on 3rd Avenue continue to live in abominable conditions.
A palpable stench permeates the air in the complex of 3 000 residents who also share small rooms, communal toilets and kitchens. Some have been injured after tripping on steps in dark corridors due to constant power failures.
The hostel is also home to ward councillor, Ambi Maseko who said the poor condition of the building was due to inexperienced and unsupervised maintenance contractors. She added that the city council had budgeted millions of rands for maintenance at the hostel without any guarantees that it would be done professionally.
The unbearable stench is from sewage spilling and stagnating in the courtyard including next to one of the kitchen area’s. Children often play near this sewage and risk deadly water borne disease such as cholera.
Residents who requested to remain anonymous said despite numerous complaints they have resigned themselves to the fact that authorities were not interested in their plight.
A 70-year-old woman who has lived at the hostel since the 70s said the conditions where much better in the past, and promises made 10 years ago by the city council to convert rooms into family dwellings have not materialised.
Most of those spoken to said they have nowhere to go and appealed to other Alexandra residents and organisations to help raise their concerns as the city council seemed not interested in resolving the problem. They said contractors were always on site but conditions did not change for the better.
