Government-run Eeufees Oord old age home in Westdene sits with 20 unused units
Some residents fear crime as they say the facility is run in a shambolic manner.
Eeufees Oord in Westdene is a state-run facility managed by the Department of Human Settlements.
The old age home currently has 20 vacant units, dwellings that should be housing vulnerable elders in need of cheap accommodation. Residents’ rent of R350 per month is directly debited from their Sassa grant each month.
Deputy director for communications at the Department of Human Settlements Thabile Mbhele said, “Empty units have been allocated with some waiting to be refurbished in the new financial year.”
Katie Harmse (78) has lived there with her husband Danie for almost 10 years and bemoans the lack of security, claiming the elderly are at particular risk of being victims of crime. “The safety situation is bad. Security guards do not have radios, walkie-talkies, or phones for use when they do patrols, although they mostly just sit and sleep in their hut at the gate.”
She said the pitch-black surroundings at night are due to the ‘street and facility outdoor lighting being broken’, which leads to the stress she and other residents suffer. “[We fear] for the lives of all who live here, especially because so many units are empty or have unauthorised young people living in them which shows the lack of proper management of the place.”
Mbhele responded, “The city is also adopting a hybrid model for security where public and private security will find a working model to improve the safety offered to residents.”
She emphatically added, “Young people are not allowed to stay there, but some residents are breaking the rules, sometimes because their children help to look after them, but it is against the rules.”
Ward 69 councillor Genevieve Sherman added, “The department of housing is not allocating vacant units timeously, it’s in a dire state and the general management of the facility leaves a lot to be desired. We are dealing with it as the portfolio committee of housing and taking it seriously. I have embarked on a process where I want answers to the questions I have submitted.”
However, Sherman did say, compared to many other state-run old age homes, Eeufees Oord is not as bad as some.
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