Residents in a fix over municipal flats’ geyser repairs
A conctractor pulled out of reparing the geysers at the Kenneth Gardens municipal flats after allegedly under charging in his tender bid. The residents will now have to wait a little longer to have their geysers repaired as the city is in the process of finalising the tender to fix them.
ONGOING issues with maintenance and geyser repairs at the eThekwini Municipal flats in Kenneth Garden has left residents feeling disheartened and frustrated, with no end in sight to their woes.
Shane McCormick of Tritonia Court said he has been waiting for nearly six months for his geyser to be repaired by the city, which oversees the running of the municipal flats.
He said, “When I phoned last year to report the leak, the municipality sent someone out and they said the repairs would be done within three months. That time came and went, and they sent someone else close to Christmas who clearly had never worked with geysers before because he never returned to complete the work.”
McCormick said he contacted the municipality once more and was informed of the contractor withdrawing from the tender to repair his geyser and five other tenants’. “I once again contacted the municipality because I was tired of the run around and demanded a date for the repairs which they could not give me. I eventually found out from the councillor that the repairs to 11 geysers are scheduled to be completed by the end of January, which has not happened,” said McCormick.
Also Read: Kenneth Gardens residents deserve better, says Durban councillor
According to eThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana, a contractor was appointed by the City to undertake the work of repairing the geysers. She said, “For work costing less than R5000, repairs are completed within seven days. If the costs exceed R5000, the matter is referred to the supply chain management for procurement processes. Unfortunately, the supply chain management process was completed, but the appointed service provider withdrew due to under-pricing of the required items. The supply chain management process has since been restarted and is expected to be completed by February 15.”
Sisilana said maintenance of the municipal flats has been affected by the non-payment of rent by tenants. Some residents are under the belief that the elderly are exempt from paying rent, which has been denied by the city. “Without sufficient revenue from rental payments, the municipality cannot effectively execute the maintenance plans and keep the properties in good condition,” said Sisilana.
She said there is an option of being moved to alternative accommodation for those unable to pay rent. “Maintenance is carried out according to specific timeframes outlined in the maintenance plan, such as five-year, 10-year, or 15-year cycles. However, this is contingent on tenants adhering to the terms and conditions of the lease agreement, including paying rent on time. Our policy allows for ‘right-sizing’. Tenants who find themselves unable to afford rent are encouraged to approach our social worker at the Embassy building. They can then be considered for right-sizing, which may offer more affordable options,” added Sisilana.
For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here
