Units lie empty while elderly play waiting game
There are approximately more than 30 empty units between the two complexes.
The DA in Ekurhuleni is deeply concerned after receiving the City of Ekurhuleni’s latest response pertaining to vacant municipal housing units.
Residents and the elderly community of Brakpan have grown increasingly frustrated with the City’s lack of response when it comes to the allocation of housing, especially at the Tweedy Park Old Age Home and Weltevreden flats.
Both housing complexes are council-owned and cater for pensioners and residents with low income.
Brandon Pretorius, DA councillor for Ward 97, told the Herald there are approximately more than 30 empty units between the two complexes, all ready for tenants to move into yet most of them have been vacant for years.
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“I have in the past months been inundated with calls from elderly residents and their families pleading for assistance with some even becoming very emotional and crying over the phone begging for accommodation, yet the City continues to deny their applications for lease agreements,” he said.
“According to the City of Ekurhuleni units have not been filled because they are awaiting renovations and the appointment of service providers.
“This a very poor response from the City and shows that the residents of Ekurhuleni are not being taken seriously by the City and the administration.
“The same response is given year after year and our streets are becoming more full day after day with elderly residents having nowhere to go and turning to the streets as there is no other option available.”
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Pretorius explained most of the renovations required at a majority of the units are cosmetic, and the families and community members of Brakpan are willing to assist individuals in need at their expense.
A visit to Tweedy Park by the Herald on Monday revealed the gardens around the empty homes are well maintained.
“The City needs to either step up or step aside and give individuals the option to move in and self-renovate where possible,” he said.
“The City should not see the renovation of these units as a cash cow but rather realise the urgency and start allocating units to residents on the waiting list. I will look into the possibility of taking a motion to council amending the current policy and requesting for the allocation of units with the option of self-renovating.”
