Grace Masehla's two-room unit at the Orlando West hostel is spotless.
A shiny, elevated stoep runs in front of the red brick house, contrasting sharply with her neighbour's unkempt dwelling.
She belongs to one of 325 families at the hostel, where she has been living with her husband since 1990. But she complains bitterly about the poor living conditions.
"I am trying the best I can to make use of my present situation at the hostel," she says, before speaking about the appalling challenges residents face. "The sewerage pipes from the location usually burst and spill over to my house; my tap leaks and the general environment around the hostel is dirty."
She is doing her chores, hanging up some clothes on a washing line that runs across the hostel.
Against the backdrop of the huge Orlando Stadium being built just a stone's throw away, children play in muddy water on the hostel grounds, occasionally jumping through the long grass.
History
Built in 1965 to accommodate migrant women, the Orlando West hostel was the only such building for women in Soweto. With up to five or six women sharing a single unit, it became an eyesore and a health hazard. Then, in 2002, the blocks were converted into family units under the City's hostel upgrade programme.
Initiated in 1997 by the old Southern Metropolitan Local Council, the programme was undertaken in line with the national government's aim to do away with single-sex dormitory units and promote integrated community development.
Eight hostels in Soweto require upgrading - Dube, Jabulani, Orlando West, Difateng, Mapetla, Dobsonville, Meadowlands and Nancefield. Construction has already begun at the Diepkloof hostel.
Then, in 2004, 25 new blocks were added to the existing 29 blocks at Orlando West hostel, to accommodate the influx of people into the township. At present, 84 new houses are being built on the grounds.
Proactive steps
On Monday, 3 February, the public participation and petitions committee visited the complex to look into the problems faced by residents. Council Speaker Nkele Ntingane, was part of the group. The Ward 39 councillor, Gladys Fihla, said that the hostel had electricity problems.
"The residents have been complaining about the non-availability of electricity in about 26 units . . . since December 2007. They also identified overgrown grass as one of the factors that contributed to the generally untidy nature," she explained.
However, Masehla said the power problems began when more units were added without any additional power supply. This caused the main power supply to trip. "A contractor was employed to (repair) the main supply poles to the cables but this obviously did not help."
Residents had also made illegal electricity connections, straining the supply to individual units and adding to the problem, she said.
During their walkabout, the City officials found numerous exposed electricity cables - a danger to children and adults alike. Ntingane said an urgent request should be made to City Power and the City's housing department to fix this.
Uncut grass
Speaking about the long grass, Masehla said the problems lay with residents themselves - it was not the City's responsibility to cut grass inside people's yards. However, because it was urgent, a quotation from City Parks had been sent to the housing finance unit for cutting grass at the hostel.
She also said residents should fix their dripping taps and support the City's Operation Gcin'amanzi, a programme to conserve water. The council would also attend to the sewerage problems.
While the new houses were welcome at a time when accommodation in the city was scarce, they would pose a challenge once finished, Ntingane said. "As the City, we have no idea who will benefit from the building of the new houses. Actually, there is no beneficiary list available."
All the problems they had identified would be forwarded to the members of the mayoral committee for infrastructure development and housing, she explained. In addition, an allocations committee should be established immediately, with the City participating fully in it.
"The new housing project should change its designs to incorporate rental, rent-to-buy and ownership units to accommodate these tenure options," the Speaker added.
In the meantime, Masehla said she would have to build a higher stoep to block any sewerage that may come her way. "I just pray that the electricity issue will be fixed soon, though."
Article courtesy of City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za).
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