Diepkloof Hostel demolished
City of Johannesburg acts timeously to avoid what could have been a humanitarian disaster.
Living in a decent home with proper sanitation, a geyser and painted walls has always been a far cry from reality for most residents of the Diepkloof Hostel.
On Thursday, more than 60 families at the hostel had a relatively peaceful sleep, as they were moved from dilapidated units to Temporary Residential Units (TRUs) within the precinct.
He said, “The City of Johannesburg had to act timeously to avoid what could have been a humanitarian disaster.
“The Diepkloof Hostel was built in the 1970s by the apartheid government.
“Over the years, it became dilapidated and inhabitable.
“These families were living in one of the most dangerous parts of the hostel.
“They will be accommodated in temporary structures within the grounds of the hostel.
“The temporary structures were erected to ease housing problems within the hostel while the City continued with its plan to demolish the whole complex and replace it with high-rise flats.”
There were whistling and ululations when the MMC handed over keys to the desperate families, who were just too happy to have a proper roof over their heads.
A relieved Nondumiso Zulu, a mother of four said she was going to have a peaceful sleep and would stop worrying about her safety and that of her children.
The MMC said that he believed the planned high-rise flats would contribute immensely to the alleviation of the housing shortage and creating sustainable families.
“We are moving away from apartheid-style buildings.
“We have also learned that some of the hostel residents are unemployed and poor, which is why we are doing away with the rent option,” Bovu.
Residents cheered when he announced that close to 90 new units built and completed in 2008 in the hostel would be occupied by May 4.
“Some of the units were RDP homes that would be allocated to deserving families,” Bovu said.
Though the majority of families were relieved to be accommodated in the temporary structures, some felt it was too little too late.
Mxolisi Thusini, chairman of the hostel (induna), said, “I am not happy, as I did not expect this.
“I thought people were going to move into the high-rise RDP flats not TRUs.
“We have residents who have been living in some of the TRUs for seven years, since the completion of the 90 units that were built in 2008.”
He said this is just a smokescreen meant to hoodwink hostel residents to vote for the ruling party in the forthcoming municipal elections.
“I want all residents not to pay for these houses but pay for the basic services.”
“In the list of people who were going to be given these flats, we found that only one person from the 200 people was a residents in the hostel,” Thusini said.
