Madala hostel residents say waiting 12 years for building’s roof reparation
A fire in 2013 left the top floor of one of the blocks at the hostel gutted.
The Madala hostel in Alexandra, Johannesburg. Picture: Sphamandla Dlamini/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - Residents at the Madala hostel in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, said they’ve been waiting 12 years for the roof of the building to be repaired.
A fire in 2013 left the top floor of one of the blocks at the hostel gutted.
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Two years later, the City of Johannesburg’s Department of Human Settlements deemed the hostel unfit for humans to dwell in.
It added that it had plans to relocate people living in the building, but that promise didn’t materialise.
Hostel resident Nduduzo Ngubane said, “When it rains, the water enters the top floor and that then goes through the lower floors and into the homes of residents. The situation is dire. People are constantly complaining to us.”
R10BN ESTIMATED TO FIX 12 HOSTELS IN JOBURG
The Johannesburg Department of Human Settlements estimates that it needs R10 billion to fix the 13 hostels in the city.
MMC for the department Mlungisi Mabaso said the Madala hostel in Alexandra is the oldest.
Ageing infrastructure seems to have contributed to the decay of the building, while the sewerage system has led to flooding in the courtyard.
Reports show that Madala hostel was meant to undergo repairs during 2001 and 2008 as part of the Alex Renewal Program.
But this did not happen.
Ngubane said the city officials have claimed they did not know the extent of the problems at the hostel.
“We have now met with the city officials. We took them to view the problems that we have, and they said they will now attend to these because previously they did not know.”