Lift lets elderly down again
The residents of the Tweedy Park Flats are once again facing misery since the elevator, which was repaired recently, has not been working since Saturday.
There was huge relief when the elevator at the council-owned flats was repaired after it was non-operational for more than a week, but the happiness was short-lived.
The eight-storey building in Brakpan has two elevators to carry the mostly elderly residents up and down.
The service elevator has not been operational since before 2011 and three weeks ago the second elevator failed, leaving fragile and disabled residents stranded on the higher floors.
It was repaired after the short term service provider was given instructions by the metro to proceed.
The spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni Metro, Temba Gadebe, also said in a statement that a number of the lifts in the metro have exceeded their lifespans and are on the verge of being replaced.
He added that all avenues are being explored to address all the challenges and problems surrounding the lifts.
On Tuesday morning the Herald found a 71-year-old resident who had just made her way down eight flights of stairs.
Dorothy Smith lives on the eighth floor of the building and suffers from arthritis. She makes use of a crutch to walk and getting up and down the stairs is a real challenge for her, as for so many others.
“Coming down is not all that bad but it is very agonizing to get back to my flat,” she said.
“I have been living here for 10 years and it has never been this bad.”
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