Gingerly balancing on crutches, 71-year-old Maya Govender, a resident of Pauline Davis Court, lets out a deflated sigh as she notices moisture gathered inside her kitchen window.

With shaking hands, she unlocks the door of her home, where she’s lived for the past four years, only to be met with the smell of rot and mould.

Steeled by her granddaughter, Govender explains that she has been living with her children for part of the time due to leaking pipes in the walls between her kitchen and bathroom, which have made it impossible to live comfortably in the municipal-allocated flat, which forms part of the City of Ekurhuleni’s (CoE) rental stock.

“Since February, I have been living like a nomad, only returning home for brief periods,” she said.

“The pipes have been leaking, causing my home to flood.

“I am not stable on my feet and fear that the puddles of water could result in my falling. Out of desperation, I have closed the main tap feeding my unit, opting to cart bottles of water from neighbours to flush the toilet, wash up, and bathe.

“I now suffer from severe backache and, upon the insistence of my children, have taken refuge in the comfort of their homes, where water can run freely from taps.”

Speaking on behalf of the 140 residents of Pauline Davis Court, Rhona Singh said the CoE’s Department of Human Settlements is robbing elderly residents of their dignity.

“There are residents who have not had access to warm water for more than three years due to non-functioning geysers,” said the impassioned human rights activist.

“They have to boil water, risk being burnt or falling, yet officials just shrug and make promises that never come to light.

“Due to a lack of security, vagrants come onto the property at night, sleeping in isolated areas. They steal anything that may hold value. When will they turn their attention to us?”

Despite the manicured gardens that form part of the communal property, residents’ efforts to create a neat and conducive environment cannot overshadow the CoE’s lack of maintenance across its rental stock throughout the city.

“We decided to pitch in to buy reliable gardening equipment for both inside and around the complex,” said Singh.

“Before, we relied solely on the municipality, which resulted in towering grass infested with rats and mice.

“We do this because we take pride in our homes, but a man walking with crutches and a woman battling cancer should not have to undertake these tasks because the metro is neglecting its duties.”

Visibly emotional, Govender said she invested money in her unit to create a comfortable home for herself, but feels the CoE has stripped her of her dignity.

“Out of desperation, I enlisted the help of a private plumber to fix the leaking pipes,” she said.

“He, however, refused to do the repair work, out of fear of being slapped with a fine for conducting unauthorised work on municipal property.”

Furious by the ongoing issues plaguing the complex, Singh said that residents feel that officials at the Department of Human Settlements relish having tenants beg for assistance.

“Knowing that paying residents do not have access to warm water or live in units that are soaked to the core, and not doing anything to address the matter is inhumane,” she said.

“We live here because that is what we can afford. We decorate and adorn our units to make them homely for us to enjoy. We are not second-class citizens and do not deserve to live in such squalor.

“At election time, officials are quick to make promises, yet, in the three years that I have lived here, I have not seen any of the promises being delivered on.”

The Benoni City Times has continuously reported on maintenance issues affecting residents of municipal-owned rental stock for the elderly, including Deneys Conradie Residential.

A request for comment has once again been sent to the CoE spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini; however, no comment was received at the time of publication.

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