Metro rejects claims of neglect at Moot retirement home
The metro says the allocated budget is for reactive maintenance and that the facility is in a fairly good condition.
The Tshwane metro has denied claims that a local retirement facility under its housing entity in the Moot is not being properly maintained.
The facility which houses the elderly is under the management of the Housing Company Tshwane (HCT).
According to Ward 52 councillor, Adriana Randall, who recently raised the alarm regarding the Oos-Moot Retirement Village, said the facility is unserviced and facing maintenance issues.
“The current state of maintenance of the Oos-Moot Village is worrying,” she said.
She said vulnerable and elderly people housed at the facility are affected by poor maintenance.
She explained that some of the maintenance issues include rusty pipes, a broken motor gate and no working lights.
“The rust has caused several water leaks that have been reported on the reporting system.”
She said the broken motor gate is threatening the security of the elderly, as are the outside lights.
“The motorised gate needs to be urgently repaired. You cannot expect elderly people to manually open a huge gate like that.
“I drove there the other night, and the place was in darkness. Maintenance of electrical infrastructure is needed.
“They do not have the financial means to do maintenance themselves,” she said.
The metro has however pushed back against these claims.
Spokesperson, Selby Bokaba, confirmed that the facility is under the management of the HCT and was transferred to HCT after a report tpresented at Council in 2015.
“The report was adopted by the majority of councillors for implementation. The city cannot have opposing concerns to resolutions passed by its own council.”
He added that the HCT is audited by the Auditor-General of South Africa on an annual basis, and no audit queries were raised with regard to financial mismanagement or any troubled past.
“We also have a fully-fledged board that plays an oversight role to ensure ethical governance of the entity,” he said.
Bokaba further said the claims of neglect at the retirement village are unfounded. “The property is not neglected and it is maintained as and when there is a need.”
He said the metro is determined to ensure the facility is properly kept, especially because it houses vulnerable elderly residents.
“There is a live-in caretaker stationed at the premises, who is responsible for overseeing the maintenance and cleanliness of the building. There is also 24-hour security at the premises.
“Given the budget constraints experienced by the city and the rental amount paid by the tenants, there is no budget allocated for upgrades.”
He confirmed that a budget of R267 000 was allocated to the retirement village for the 2025/26 financial year, but that this only covers reactive maintenance.
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