Residents living in municipal flats in Extension 14, Marburg say they are tired of being sent from pillar to post regarding the maintenance of the flats, which are over 34 years old.
One resident, Alfrieda Prosad said the major issues are leaking roofs, cracked walls and rotting window frames.
“When it rains, water seeps into my flat, damaging furniture,”Prosad explained.
She said it has been reported to ward councillor Ajith Rajaram, but to date nothing has been done.
“The councillor keeps making empty promises and we are tired of it,” she added.
The frustrated resident said in December 2022, two rooms in her flat were flooded after a water pipe burst. The councillor was also notified but nothing was done.
Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) spokesperson Simon April stated that the tenants are responsible for maintenance.
“In terms of the lease agreement between RNM and the tenants, it clearly states that the tenants are responsible for the maintenance of the flats. The monthly rental that they are paying was taken into consideration as they are pensioners, and unfortunately, I cannot mention the exact amount as it’s an agreement between the tenant and the lessor, however I can assure you that it is very little. The tenants are also responsible for payment of water and electricity,” said April.
The residents agreed that the rental is not too bad, however as pensioners dependant on a government grant of about R2000 a month, they are struggling to make ends meet.
Hassen Mohammed said they flat he lives in belongs to his parents and the money in their household is not sufficient to do any major maintenance work.
“We had to replace built in cupboards which were damaged by a water leak. Some of us had to dig trenches in our yards after heavy rains. We want the municipality to do some refurbishments on the buildings, as the owner of the flats.
“We don’t have title deeds for the flats and yet we are expected to fix them,” he concluded.
No comment was received from Cllr Rajaram.
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