‘People should get in the habit of paying for services’

Nancefield Hostel Induna Thisha Shange has expressed his feelings about the payment of basic services by hostel dwellers.

Shange was speaking about the state of the hostel he is leading on Tuesday.

His view is that people who are currently residing at hostels should pay for electricity and water.

“There is lawlessness in the hostels because it is not easy to regulate them,” said Shange.

He said the first step that government should take in making sure that hostels are regulated is to make residents pay for basic services.

“It is easy for anyone to come stay here because it’s free. We don’t pay rent and we get free electricity and water,” said Shange.

He continued by saying that crime rates can drop if the hostel is regulated properly by government.

When the MEC for Social Development Faith Mazibuko visited Nancefield Hostel in April she was not impressed by the state which it was in.

Burst water pipes and overflowing sewage drains were everywhere.

Doing her house to house visits, the MEC had to duck from a network of low hanging live electric cables. These low hanging electric cables are a result of illegal connections.

Since the MEC’s visit, sewage drains and burst water pipes have been fixed.

Shange thanked the Housing Department which handles hostel affairs for fixing the damaged pipes and drains.

“I’m very grateful for what they have done by fixing all damaged pipes and drains,” said Shange.

Even though he is happy that burst pipes have been fixed, he feels that a lot still needs to be done for the hostel.

He thinks the whole water and sanitation infrastructure needs to be renewed at the hostel.

Shange’s view is that residents can assist the government in doing this by paying for basic services like water and electricity.

“The money paid by residents for electricity and water can be used by government to transform the state of the hostel,” said Shange. Payment of basic services will also help get residents in the habit of paying according to Shange.

He explained, “If we can start paying a small fee for basic services now, we can avoid protests like the one we’ve seen in Orlando.

“How can you give people free water and electricity for ten years and then wake tomorrow and say they must pay?

“They will protest because they are not used to paying. Rather get them used to the idea of paying for services to avoid problems in the future.”

Shange did not shy away from the fact that there are unemployed people residing in the hostel.

He said a plan can be made for them in terms of how they can pay for basic services.

@MzwaJourno