The Democratic Alliance [DA] is to escalate to the Department of Human Settlement a case of non-compliance by the City on improvements to the Women’s Hostel in Alex.
The action stems from a ruling by the Human Rights Commission for the City to improve living conditions for about 4 000 residents of the multi-story hostel on 3rd Avenue. DA councillor Andrew Cadman said the City had reneged on the deadline of 3 April to effect and present improvement reports and plans.
The commission’s decision follows complaints by residents, political parties and concerned citizens about the abhorrent and unhygienic living conditions. These include effluent running into and stagnating in the courtyard, next to kitchens and in the hallways which emits a foul smell, with mosquitoes breeding in the effluent eliciting fears of a cholera outbreak. Some residents claim they suffer from asthma and other ailments due to this.
Other problems include sewage from upper floors flooding lower floors, broken and blocked water pipes in the bathrooms and kitchens, water supply only being available for a few hours a day, power failures in hallways resulting in residents, especially grannies, tripping and injuring themselves on the steps, and the un-repaired roof damaged by the December rains.
Cadman said despite the millions of rand allocated to the maintenance budget in several financial years, there has been no improvement, hence the complaint to the commission which visited the site and made the ruling.
Confirming the budget allocations, ward councillor Ambi Maseko who resides in the complex, said last year that contractors engaged for the maintenance work were ill equipped and too inexperienced to handle the task without supervision.
Cadman said they were taking the matter to the department in a bid to get the City to improve the conditions which some residents said had not changed since they moved into the complex in 2004.
Sharon Madisha, Wilhemina Chidi and Maggie Mogale said many of them were constantly sick from the smell and from wading through sewage to get to the kitchens and in hallways.
“The entrances to the kitchen are consistently blocked by effluent and the taps in the sinks are blocked. Besides, it’s unpalatable to cook and eat, even in our rooms, because of the smell day and night. Some children also contract incessant illnesses causing them to miss school,” said Madisha.
Catherine Mnyengeza (73), who has been at the complex since 1986 attributed her heart problems to the conditions. “I have given up hope of any improvements,” she lamented.
Details: Andrew Cadman 011 344 7800.
