Residents of Andries Scribante Haven without hot water
Many residents at the metro-owned facility have not had a drop of hot water since the start of winter due to their geysers not working
Several senior citizens from Andries Scribante Haven in Cason Road said they have been struggling for months without hot water in their apartments.
According to Ward 32 councillor Marius de Vos, the municipality installed solar geysers at Andries Scribante, owned by the Ekurhuleni metro, about two years ago and now some of the residents’s geysers are not working.
“I have received numerous calls from anxious residents who did not have a drop of warm water since the beginning of winter. These elderly people don’t know what to do anymore. The matter has been reported to no avail. I escalated the matter to the relevant people from the municipality on numerous occasions but residents are still waiting for them to attend to the reported issues.
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“It’s a huge concern and residents are within their rights to be upset about the matter. They are paying for services and now they don’t even have warm water to help them get through the cold winter. It’s also dangerous for old, fragile people to be without warm water, especially with Covid-19. These people could easily get sick and are at high risk for the virus.
“Ekurhuleni should resolve the matter as soon as possible. They should give residents the option to get back to the normal geysers or have a back-up to kick in when the solar geysers aren’t working,” the ward councillor said.
He highlighted that residents are also concerned about some drains that have been blocked for months now, even after contractors from the metro worked on the drains. One of the residents, Annatjie van der Westhuizen, said she has been without warm water for about six weeks.
“There is something wrong with my geyser and I don?t have a drop of warm water in my flat. Now, I have to boil water if I want to take a hot bath and I’m anxious about it because I have lung problems. I can’t afford to get sick. I’m also concerned about leaking taps in the apartment and I don’t know who can fix it for me. I reported the matters numerous times but I’m still waiting for response,” said the resident, who has been living at Andries Scribante for decades.
Another resident, Jacques Botha, is concerned about water pipes that are leaking after the solar geysers were installed. He said some of his lights aren’t working and he is afraid the water will cause the ceiling to collapse.
The Advertiser is awaiting comment from the metro.
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