Political intervention at Donovan McDonald Old Age Home is slowly but surely paying off.
The huge task was put on DA councillor candidate Caleb Finn’s shoulders in April, when it came to light that the centre has gone without proper outdoor lighting in its passageways and premises since late January.
According to the Roodepoort Care for the Aged (RCA) manager, Andy Harris, neither the City of Johannesburg nor the Department of Housing acknowledged the issue at the time, despite the RCA writing to them vehemently. Harris denied the responsibility falling on his NPO, which has taken management of eight old age homes in Roodepoort.
In April the Region C Disaster Advisory Sub Forum paid a visit to the centre and found neither the lighting nor the security on the premises is sufficient, besides other major health and safety risks. The team performing a risk assessment had found the lifts, emergency stairways, hallways and corridors, power boxes, fire-fighting equipment and security to be lacking, posing a high risk to residents in an emergency situation, besides inconveniencing the elderly on a daily basis.
In October 2014, a series of Record articles dealt with regular robberies at the centre, and the assault of resident Erasmus Greyling, 71 at the time.
According to Finn, a small achievement nearly a month later has already vastly improved outdoor lighting on the property — City Power came through to fix the flood lights in the backyard.
“I probed [CoJ] about getting all the outdoor lighting fixed; it looks like the Department of Housing is waiting for a Jozi@Work package to this end to materialise before they appoint an SMME to deal with such maintenance,” Finn said.
He is also probing the city about concerns with the security company appointed to safeguard the elderly.
Related articles:
75 days in darkness for Roodepoort’s elderly
No security to speak of at Donovan McDonald
Donovan McDonald drama after assault on elderly
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