The roof of an Actonville couple’s apartment was damaged after the ceiling collapsed inside their main bedroom.
Peter Erasmus (57), who has been a tenant at Aloe Court for the past 21 years, said the roof started cracking in 2020 when the facia boards outside started tearing off.
“Realising this would cause more damage, we reported it to the municipality and someone came to evaluate. They then told us someone will come and fix it but they didn’t.
“When the roof collapsed in January, we were told that the council doesn’t have a budget for maintenance.
“We were told to wait until June but if I can fix it myself, I must do so.
“Since I’m unemployed, I said they can buy me the materials and I’ll fix it – but not for free – but they refused. We then suggested that we fix it; however, our rent should be written off for the next few months. This was also declined.”
bedroom at council-owned Aloe Court
Erasmus said their pleas have been ignored despite repeated complaints.
He said on the day the roof collapsed, the room was left in a mess and had to be cleaned so that they could use the room.
“We now live with a huge hole in our ceiling because it has not been fixed. In the 21 years that I have been living in these flats, we’ve always begged for maintenance. Every month, the council demands its money but it can’t do maintenance,” said Erasmus.
Another tenant, Cecilla Maisela, shared that there are many other tenants who are suffering the same fate as the living conditions at the council flats are devastating.
The City Times indeed discovered the building in a state of disrepair when we visited the property recently.
The infrastructure of the building is on the verge of collapse with gutters falling off, crumbling walkways, broken windows and leaking pipes.
“It is unfair that residents have to repair their own ceilings, leaking taps and door panels since the property belongs to the metro,” said Maisela.
One of the pensioners, Indrane Moodley, who has been living at the flats for 35 years, said she had to pay for a pipe and pay someone to fix her blocked toilet.
The City Times awaits metro comment
Also Read: Metro’s response to Actonville Flats issues
Also Read: [WATCH] Actonville flats left to deteriorate
