LISTEN: Markville complex without elevator for six months
These residents are mostly senior citizens who have to climb five flights of stairs daily if they need to go out.
Residents of Markville, an Ekurhuleni Metro housing complex, have been without an elevator since February 28.
According to them going shopping is a nightmare as they have to carry all their bags up the stairs which is a terrible task.
The current caretaker, Johan Enslin, has taken it up with the metro, but nothing has come of that complaint, therefore he approached Afriforum Springs branch for help.
“Michael du Toit (83) cannot even go to the doctor as he walks with a walking ring and using the stairs will just be impossible,” says Enslin.
Afriforum’s Jannie Christie was tasked to find out how they can assist the residents with this problem.
He says the elevator basement was recently flooded due to a broken drain pipe which he had fixed.
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“It didn’t take long to fix that problem, but now it is just the elevator that needs fixing,” he says.
He believes it is an electrical problem.
“As part of a service to the community, we intervened as the metro neglected their duty to do so,” says Afriforum’s Richardt Lubbe.
A contractor has been appointed to fix the elevator and a deposit has already been paid for the job.
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However, the contractors cannot start with the maintenance work unless they have the elevator sketches which have allegedly gone missing.
“It is a struggle we are dealing with to get hold of it,” says Lubbe.
They have tried to obtain the sketches from several elevator businesses, but without any success.
Lubbe says Christie is trying his best, therefore, he asks the residents to please be patient.
At the time of publishing no comment was received from the metro.
