Joburg retirement village sees Covid cases mount

The Eeufees Retirement Village in Westdene, Johannesburg, is battling a Covid-19 outbreak with a number of cases reported this week.

This comes as the ward coucillor for the area, Genevieve Sherman bemoaned the lack of accountability on the City of Johannesburg’s part in not only protecting residents but maintaining basic health and safety protocols such as enforcing access control to the property.

One resident, who did nto want to be named for fear of begin victimised, said that individuals who had subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 have been coming and going freely at the village while not wearing masks.

“For the better part of my time as coucnillor, and more recently, I have all but begged and pleaded with the Department of Housing to take ownership for their facilities, specifically the most vulnerable,” says Sherman.

“I have appealed and appealed because there are absolutely no proper security measures at specifically Eeufees.”

She says: “I have liaised with the facilities manager, I’ve liaised with the regional manager, and I have not gotten any, any assistance of any kind.”

Eeufees is subsidised by the state with the majority of its residents dependent on government’s old-age grant.

In the week leading up to new year’s eve, residents reported 5 cases of Covid-19.

Sherman says: “We are very aware of the Covid cases (at Eeufees), we have brought it to their [government’s] attention and I’ve asked them two or three days ago in a strongly worded message for assistance, and to date, I’ve had no reply from them.”

“The Department of Housing is literally not interested in assisting,” according to Sherman.

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Sherman alleges that there has been a 4-year battle with the City authorities to evict illegal residents in the village – younger men and women of working age who take over properties abandoned by previous older residents.

“I’ve had no assistance from the Department of Housing with regards to my facilities,” says Sherman, citing another incident where fumigation was requested at a pest-infested unit in Eeufees more than a month ago already with no action being taken to date.

“We’re asking that they just do their jobs,” she says.

According to Sherman, she has asked for the intervention of the previous Member of the Mayoral Council (MMC) in Johannesburg with the situation in Eeufees, but there is now a new MMC.

“The Department of Housing region B has dropped the ball and in my opinion, as the ward councillor for ward 69, has done absolutely nothing to date to assist,” she says.

Khensani Makhubela, the acting spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg, said on Friday that they are aware of 2 confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 at Eeufees.

“The two individuals have undergone the necessary medical procedures and are currently under quarantine as prescribed by the law,” said Makhubela.

“The City’s Tracing Team will monitor the developments of the recorded 2 cases as part of the procedure that is undertaken in following up on such cases.”

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