Alexandra residents could soon see meaningful relief at one of the township’s most neglected facilities. The City of Johannesburg has committed R28.8m to upgrade the Helen Joseph Women’s Hostel, focusing on its severely degraded bathrooms, sanitation systems, and water infrastructure.

MMC for Finance Loyiso Masuku announced the funding, which forms part of the city’s medium-term budget and takes effect from July 1. Speaking after a hands-on door-to-door campaign, Masuku explained that the allocation directly responds to what officials witnessed on the ground.

Read more: Helen Joseph Hostel in Alexandra gets sanitised

The MMC described the visible decay observed during the visit, including old pipes causing major sanitation problems and window barriers that are literally falling off. “We went there because we wanted to see for ourselves,” Masuku emphasised.

Masuku, who visited the hostel alongside Deputy President Paul Mashatile, said they needed to improve the pace of delivery at Helen Joseph. “We have budgeted R28.8m to work on that, with effect from July 1. That is the budget that is going to address the challenges with the showers, the toilets, in the actual hostel,” she said.

Also read: Alexandra women break cancer silence at Helen Joseph Women’s Hostel

An additional R6.5m has been allocated for similar upgrades at the nearby Madala Hostel.

The Helen Joseph Women’s Hostel has suffered from ageing infrastructure for years. In 2025, the city launched a separate R9m project to replace 850m of failing sewer pipelines. That work is still underway, but has already missed its original six-month deadline due to weather and other setbacks, according to community liaison officer Selina Nkuna.

Residents continue to battle non-functional taps, water shortages, and unhygienic conditions. Opposition parties, including the DA and Action SA, have long described the facility as unfit for occupation. For the women living there, these issues go beyond inconvenience; they affect health, safety, and basic dignity.

The hostel problems form part of wider struggles across the township. During the same outreach, residents in areas such as River Park highlighted prolonged power outages caused by vandalised infrastructure. Masuku’s comments confirm that the broader 2026/27 budget will target infrastructure challenges in Alexandra.

“The budget that we did is to address those particular service delivery challenges. One, the issue of electricity, two, the issue of water, three, the roads are impassable. We walked and drove, and we experienced these particular service delivery issues. The capital expenditure we have set, it is a budget that is meant to fix those infrastructure challenges.”

Follow us on our WhatsApp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates!