Residents of the Tweedy Park Old Age Home, including those in the flats and cottages, have raised several complaints, with the municipality reportedly citing a lack of funding for the growing issues affecting elderly residents.

After a period of stability, problems with the lifts have resurfaced, leaving residents unable to access them on the seventh floor and requiring them to use the stairs to the sixth floor to reach a working lift.

One resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, complained about the lack of security, which, in turn, affects the fire safety of the apartments in multiple ways.

The fire extinguishers on every floor have been stolen and not replaced, and to stay safe, the gates at the bottom of both staircases must be locked at night.

One resident allegedly complained to the municipality about this, and when asked what to do in case of a fire, she was told to jump from one of the higher floors where her flat is located.

Another resident asked Drummond Doig, AfriForum Brakpan vice-chairperson, when he visited the old age home on May 1, why the cleaners are paid every month when they only sit around instead of cleaning.

He suggested reducing the number of cleaners to one or two and using the savings to fund security.

The complaints from the flats residents don’t end there, however, as the top floors face damp and mould from an overflowing water reservoir that hasn’t been attended to in several years.

The southwest wall, as seen through the window of a resident on the eighth floor in that corner, sways away from the building during strong winds, raising concerns that it could collapse.

The cottages are not exempt from the deteriorating conditions. Three of them do not have hot water due to burst geysers, element replacements required, or electrical short circuits.

Two of the three also face general electrical problems. In one cottage, ongoing faults at the distribution board cause the electricity to trip repeatedly.

The other has multiple non-working plugs. Peet Borman, from one of the cottages with electrical problems and no warm water, told the Brakpan Herald that if he complains to the municipality, they tell him, “If you are not satisfied, move out and get another house.”

Mossie Mostert, from the other cottage with electrical problems, explained that his garden service frequently complains that they can’t cut the grass because the power keeps going out.

Another cottage, occupied by Kobus and Gerda Coetzer, is next to a large tree with low-hanging branches, and its roots are pushing up under the cottage. Of greater concern are the black widow spiders that keep biting Gerda, who has diabetes and, as a result, has slowed wound healing.

The tree is also damaging the roof of the cottage, and Kobus has had to, at his own cost, get someone to remove a branch hanging over the street going around the cottages, as it was damaging passing vehicles.

An enquiry was sent to the City of Ekurhuleni, the owner of the property, regarding all of the above complaints on May 4, but no response had been received at the time of publication.

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