Despite many complaints and several appeals to municipal management for intervention, the elderly people at Andries Scribante Haven are still compelled to put up with a sewage mess caused by blocked drains and leaky pipes.
The Advertiser recently ran a story about residents of the centre complaining that they are battling daily with the stench of sewage from their toilets or kitchen sinks since early June.
The drains are also affecting their bathrooms, as wastewater is bubbling back up into washbasins and bathtubs.
Speaking on behalf of the affected senior citizens, residents Charles Tewitz again complained that although he had knocked on many doors, the problems still persist.
He has sent emails to almost all the relevant departments, including human settlements and even approached the mayor’s office in Germiston, but no one seems to care.
“I still have no response or acknowledgement from them, and we are still suffering. Where do we go from here? The problems have been reported to all the relevant people, including the caretaker who is hardly ever here,” said Tewitz.
“Who is paying the salary of these people who seem to be on permanent leave because nothing had been done about these complaints? Several other serious matters were reported to the metro but seem to be swept under the carpet. This matter is very serious and poses a health risk to senior citizen.”
Tewitz pointed out that the problems of sewage and corroded pipes are not new, and they have been neglected by both centre management and the human settlements department.
“This has been happening for a long time and council is aware. There is no service delivery here. We have serious problems as a result of poor management.”
Tewitz said they are planning to approach both the Department of Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and the head of the department of the city.
The municipality has not yet responded to our request for comment on this follow-up report. However, in our previous report on the state of the centre, the metro assured residents that the City was doing all it could to ensure the repairs were done as soon as possible, while following all procurement processes to appoint the contractor to carry out the repairs.
