Cora Erasmus Old Age Home residents decry poor maintenance in Primrose
Elderly residents at Cora Erasmus Old Age Home in Primrose are demanding action from the City of Ekurhuleni, citing uncollected waste, leaking roofs, and unsafe living conditions.
Elderly residents of Cora Erasmus Old Age Home in Primrose have raised serious concerns over what they describe as poor maintenance of the complex by the City of Ekurhuleni.
The complex has faced ongoing challenges, including uncollected waste, overgrown grass, and building maintenance issues.
Recently, these problems have sparked heightened concern among residents, who are particularly worried about safety and damage to furniture.
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During a recent visit by the GCN, resident Topsy Tshabalala highlighted several ongoing issues in her unit.
Her tap had been running continuously for a week, and her geyser was not functioning, making it difficult for her to bathe.
“I can’t even use my kettle to boil water because I have to boil it many times,” Tshabalala said.
“The running water is making noise, and I can’t even sleep well at night. My roof is also leaking, with water running down my bathroom walls.”
Sharon Holliday, a close friend of Tshabalala, echoed these concerns. She explained that she had to hire a technician to patch her own roof to stop leaks.
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“When the rain came, water would run down my walls, ruining my paint and paintings,” said Holliday.
“I had my walls repainted recently, and now the paint is coming off due to the water. We have reported the leaking roofs to the caretaker, but nothing is being done. One tenant’s roof even collapsed due to water pressure from leaking geyser pipes.”
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Holliday added, “We are pensioners; we should be enjoying our retirement, but we are struggling. We are not looked after, and anything that needs to be fixed, we have to do ourselves. I put a post on Facebook to help Topsy with her tap, and Thea Malan, president of Just Numbers Motor Cycle Club, responded.
“One of their members, Ed April, a plumber, along with his wife Maria, came out and replaced her tap free of charge. We truly appreciate their help and support.”
The GCN contacted the City of Ekurhuleni media team on September 11, requesting a comment by the following day. At the time of going to print, no response had been received.
