Temp units to alleviate hostel overcrowding
The structures will be built in an attempt to reduce the number of occupants in the hostel units to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Residents staying in the overcrowded Mamelodi hostels are expected to get around 1 000 temporary housing units by the end of June, according to the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation.
The announcement was made during the visit to the area by human settlements, water and sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu last week Thursday.
The structures will be built in an attempt to reduce the number of occupants in the hostel units to contain the spread of Covid-19.
“We need to do this as quickly as possible,” Sisulu said.
“Our people have been deserving of this for a very long time. It’s not right that they live in such conditions. We promise we will make sure that you are put in an environment that is habitable.”
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During her visit, Sisulu inspected two of the temporary housing units already built and also oversaw the handing over of around 100 water tanks donated by the ambassador of Denmark.
“The building of the units at Mamelodi forms part of a larger project aimed to reduce the number of occupants in hostels around the country,” said Sisulu.
The temporary units will be built at the hostel premises and aimed at moving residents from each block to the new units.
Sisulu said further said it was important to begin the project immediately and that it was not right that the residents live in these conditions.
“The hostel dwellers were happy that government was finally doing something about their safety,” said Mamelodi hostels chairperson Daniel Sello.
He said the Mamelodi hostels were overcrowded and the building was dilapidated.
“There are thousands of people living there.”
Sello said the temporary residential units would come at the right time because, because with more than 16 people crammed into one room, the risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus was very high.
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“The temporary units would also create job opportunities for the hostel dwellers who will be hired to build the units. However, the project must start as soon as possible, because there is no time to waste.”
Sello further said the temporary units would help a lot as hostel residents have been complaining about the hostels ‘for many years’.
According to him, the hostel blocks were in a bad state and almost all the hostel blocks have water leakages, and toilets were no longer working properly.
He added that the leakages were now damaging the hostel buildings.
“Everywhere you go there are water leaks and water on the ground, behind the buildings.”
Some of the residents have actually placed bricks on the ground as stepping stones to avoid walking in the mud.
“Some residents have resorted to cleaning the toilets themselves and as well as fixing some of the leaking pipes,” he said.
Sello further said residents at the hostels were happy about the idea of reducing the number of people living in the rooms.
He added that the hostels were in a bad state – there was no maintenance, and this exacerbated the already poor living conditions of those who call the hostels their home.
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