The Joburg MMC for Housing Dan Bovu, several MMCs and local councillors descended on Alex for a three-day sojourn to assess housing developments and engage residents on solutions to their challenges.
Their reception at the Helen Joseph Women’s Hostel that accommodates 4 000 women was frosty as Bovu tried to pacify residents aggrieved by their terrible living conditions which include raw sewage and filthy water in the courtyards.
Other problems were broken windows, damaged roofs, an unreliable water and electricity supply, overcrowded rented rooms, and dark and dangerous staircases.
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Bovu acknowledged all the problems and said, contrary to allegations of their visit being an electioneering ploy for the upcoming elections, the city council had plans to accommodate the residents at a nearby site where land had been purchased after a long process.
He said, “The hostel residents will be prioritised for the settlement in line with government’s objective to do away with hostels…” He added that the construction of new accommodation would occur simultaneously with some urgent improvements to the hostel to ensure it remained habitable.
Bovu added that some hostel residents would be moved to transit camps until new houses were allocated to them. He added that there were houses available for occupation a fair distance from Alex and any resident who is prepared to move there was urged to inform the city council. He said priority would be given to the elderly who were already on the city council’s housing waiting list.
Bovu promised to invite City of Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau to the hostel this month to unveil the new housing plans.
The residents said they would only believe the promises when there was evidence of work being started on the new accommodation.
