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Streams of sewage from burst pipes, old worn-out tyres being placed along the streams to create a path to walk, concrete slabs to prevent further flooding and dilapidated infrastructure.
These are the unsavoury scenes at the dilapidated Actonville hostel in Benoni, Ekurhuleni.
Having lived at the hostel for most of his life, Mhlengikazi Mbokazi, 37, said he had nowhere else to go but to sleep on a bed surrounded by sewage.
Mbokazi said entering his home was hard as he has to step on bricks to avoid dirty puddles.
“It’s been like this since last year and it only kept getting worse as time went by. At first, the water would just come in under the door, but it would be a matter of mopping it up and just blocking it off with a concrete slab so that it doesn’t come into this side of the homes, but that didn’t help.
“Eventually, the water collected itself into a dam and it started flowing over the material we had made to block it. This is how we live. I placed bricks in the water so that I could be able to enter my house. I also put my bed on bricks to lift it above the water. Whenever I need to cook, I put the small gas stove on the bed,” said Mbokazi.
He said that hygiene was a great concern but that there’s nothing that he can do.
“After a while you get used to it. You sleep and eat around the sewage so you do eventually get used to the smell. Getting sick is something I made peace with because there’s nowhere else, I can go. I don’t have the money to go home. This is my home,” said Mbokazi.
During Sowetan's visit, we found Actonville hostel in appalling condition for people to live, just like many other hostels in Gauteng.
The residents have complained about the decaying infrastructure that is leading to serious problems like burst pipes.
Another resident in the area, Snenhlanhla Sikhakhane, 32, said that at some point she had asked for assistance from the waste management team that would pick up trash, but they refused.
“I had given them R300 to at least suck up some of the water with their pump, but they looked at the water and said it was too much, that they wouldn’t be able to help, and they left with my R300.
“I had to leave my home because the water was just too much. Whenever I opened the door, it would be like a gushing river of water just flowing in, never stopping. I moved my fridge and essentials to my neighbour that lives nearby, but I often have to come back and fetch my things,” said Sikhakhane.
The Thokoza hostel was also visited by the Sowetan team, and the residents there complained about ‘renovations’ that the city had done earlier in the year but there was nothing to show for it.
The hostel’s Nduna said city officials are always visiting the hostel to make inspections, but nothing ever changes.
“They are always telling us they will upgrade this or build this, showing us the plans, but that never happens. Last time they said they were going to build flats for us to live in and that we would have to pay rent, but that is not a problem for us. They need to provide us with proper accommodation and then we can progress, but it’s always empty promises.
Nduna has been living there since 1994.
“When I arrived here, the hostels had showers that were operating, but now they have been vandalised and the pipes are gone,” said the Nduna.
City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said during the 2017/18 financial year, the city had invested R5m and the provincial government had also invested R5m towards the refurbishment of some of the blocks at Thokoza hostel.
Zweli said the scope of work included removal of the asbestos roof at block S&M, electrical refurbishment including kiosks, glazing, sewer and water [including internal plumbing at the toilets and kitchens], partitioning of rooms for privacy, plastering and painting.
“In the 2018/2019 financial year, the city invested R5m towards the refurbishment of block P, which included installing a new 100-meter sewer line, toilets and plumbing. Due to the budget deficit, the scope of work did not include ceilings. Unfortunately, the project could not continue further due to budget deficit and non-revenue generation by the hostel,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini said in 2019/2020 the city spent a further R1.7m for the partial roof installation at Block K. Due to budget challenges, the project could not be completed.
He said Thokoza hostel forms part of the hostels to be redeveloped to 4-storey walk-ups and family units.
“The process to reconfigure the hostel is in progress with technical studies and designs currently being carried out. The City of Ekurhuleni is only allocated a budget to carry out ad hoc maintenance. Due to the low revenue generated by hostels, the city cannot fully refurbish the hostel. Secondly, to avoid fruitless expenditure, the city is awaiting the redevelopment process to be fully implemented,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini said only ad hoc maintenance, subject to budget availability, is currently being carried out to sustain and better the living conditions of the Actonville hostel.
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