WATCH: Oversight visit again puts spotlight on state of Reiger Park council flats

The alarming condition of the council-owned Reiger Park flats, described by residents as unsafe, is under scrutiny.

This scrutiny follows an oversight visit by (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Human Settlements Mervyn Cirota, DA Gauteng spokesperson for Human Settlements Evert du Plessis, DA Gauteng member of the Human Settlements Committee Alan Fuchs, DA Benburg political head Ruhan Robinson MPL, DA Ekurhuleni Shadow MMC for Human Settlements Philip Thamahane and other stakeholders.

For many years, broken staircases, leaking roofs, cracked walls, and other issues have plagued the flats.

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Named and shamed

Cirota expressed concern for the residents’ welfare, safety and living conditions.

“It is our understanding that no one has inspected or maintained the premises since 2022. The state of the staircases is a life-threatening accident waiting to happen. We recently became aware of a man living here with no legs,” he said.

“We aim to gather information to take to the metro and province to determine what they will do regarding maintenance work. If we don’t have a caring government, they must be held accountable and named and shamed.

“Our first question will be, ‘When will the responsible MMC and MEC inspect and address the issues?’”

Cirota said the oversight visit was not a once-off, and they would keep residents updated on developments.

Hand to mouth

The DA CoE PR councillor for Reiger Park, Izelle Senol, said the Reiger Park flats were her first project when she became a councillor.

“I’ve been reporting the issues, but was only told there was no funding. It is a serious matter. Whenever you get a call, you don’t know if a staircase collapsed or something worse happened.

“We want to see the staircases repaired, along with other things broken inside the flats. Some residents live without geysers. We need to stand up for our people.”

Senol acknowledged that some residents did not pay rent but emphasised the high unemployment rate and that many people lived from hand to mouth.

“There is just no money. How do you expect people to pay for flats in such poor condition?” she asked.
Resident Louis Boy Wapad (53) described the flats’ condition as appalling.

“There is no help from the municipality. We had to hire people to fix the stairs at our own expense.”

His biggest concern is the safety of the residents.

“Many people have fallen down the stairs,” he said, adding that water pipes are old and poorly maintained.

Forgotten

Lushaan Peterson (15), who lives at the flats with her parents and brother, pleaded with the metro to repair the building.

“The staircases are dangerous and must be fixed. A resident who doesn’t have legs has to crawl up the stairs,” she said.

Another resident, Lydia Kruger, said coloured people are the“forgotten nation”.

“What did we do wrong? Even in the apartheid years, we were too black to be white. Coloured people are nowhere. It is not right. We are all South African.”

The area’s ward councillor, Edith Klassen of the PA, confirmed raising the concerns with the relevant authorities.

“I am fully aware of the issues regarding the flats. Nobody can say I ignored the people of the flats. I am still pursuing the human settlements case. However, when they tell you there’s no machinery, diesel or budget, what am I supposed to do?”

CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the flats, built in 1972, require extensive maintenance.

“It’s not that we don’t care; we are doing our best. The budget is tight, which is why we run campaigns to encourage people to pay their rates and taxes. Many residents don’t pay rent, and they shouldn’t be staying here for free. We do emergency maintenance, such as the recent repairs to a collapsed staircase.”

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