The decay of infrastructure at Pioneer Park Old Age Home, on the corner of La Rochelle and Glenroy roads in Glenesk, is a cause for concern.

The pensioners’ cries about maintenance have fallen on deaf ears. If it is not long grass, the geysers are not working.

The Southern Courier visited the home after a pensioner, Gladys Carlson (74) burnt two fingers while trying to boil water on the stove because her geyser was not working.

“I live like this. I must boil water and carry it to the bathtub, however, this time my arms gave in and the hot water spilt onto my fingers. I had to rush to South Rand Hospital to get help. Sometimes I have to use an urn for boiling water and it is heavy to pick it up when full.

“My toilet had no lever to flush for three years. I have to put my hand into the cold water canister to flush. The unit has no tiles and the kitchen cupboards are falling apart.

“We live like this, and no one is helping us. Just the other day, as old as I am, I had to weed the front and back of my unit because we have no one,” explained Carlson.

We contacted the office of the MMC for Human Settlement, Mlungisi Mabaso and they promised to look into the matter and said they would try to visit the place and do some assessment.

Bureaucracy hinders progress

The Southern Courier interviewed Mabaso last year, and he said this about the old age homes in Johannesburg:

“Bureaucratic frustrations cause most problems, and this hinders progress. Those who want to work get frustrated by our internal processes. There is quite a lot of red tape. Old age homes indeed need special attention.

“You must be careful when dealing with homes for the elderly because it is a delicate space. I remember the old people used to call me, and I would listen to them for a long time and give them my time,” he said.

He mentioned the last time he left the department, there was a motion in council that he did not support – that old age homes move from the Human Settlement Department to the Social Development Department.

“We first need to manage the facility before we come to the actual tenants who live there.
“We need to ensure access control so people do not enter as they wish and ensure the facility is conducive and enables an environment for elderly people to live in peace. Everything must work properly,” he said.