Residents of Markville Flats have gone without an elevator for nearly four years, and, with all the empty promises made to them, many have given up on the thought that an elevator will be provided for them.
The elevator was removed in 2016 due to its age and the danger it was posing.
According to resident Johan Enslin, a meeting was held in Benoni in November last year among AfriForum, the metro and a mechanic.
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Former mayor Gert Parsons was supposed to have a meeting on Monday afternoon with the metro regarding Markville Flats.
The meeting, however, has been delayed to next week due to unforeseen circumstances.
Parsons says he will be putting pressure on the municipality to address this issue until it is fixed.
Enslin says: “I think the stories they are telling us are complete lies.”
Residents have been taking the matter up with the metro since the elevator was removed, but the metro’s answers have been unsatisfactory and vague.
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No answers for Markville residents.
In their last response to the Addie, in June last year, the metro assured residents that they are currently undergoing a tender process to procure lift specialist contractors to install new lifts at Markville Flats.
At one point last year residents were told an elevator was procured for them from overseas and was being transported to Markville, but never arrived.
Markville Flats is home to the elderly and a major issue for them is the amount of stairs some of them have to climb to reach their flats.
Many residents suffer from joint pain in their knees and hips and climbing multiple flights of stairs is intensely painful for them and can cause further strain and injury.
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Metro says lift to be installed by end of October in Markville Flats
Enslin’s wife, Toekie, has recently undergone a procedure on her knees and Johan is unsure whether she will be able to climb the five flights of stairs to their fifth floor apartment.
Enslin also wants to know where the parts of the elevator went after it was stripped in 2016 due to its age.
The metro has failed to respond to our inquiry at time of publication.
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