Community flags flat neglect at Isipingo flats
From shoddy infrastructure to unmet promises, flat residents in Isipingo raised concerns about severe neglect and a disregard for maintenance.
THERE is no money. That is the response received by council flat residents in Lotus Park, Isipingo, whenever they call eThekwini Municipality for maintenance and upkeep of the flats.
Mere months after being requested to sign new leases despite promises of home ownership for over 30 years, residents are having to take matters into their own hands.
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Dineshri Raju, one of the lifelong residents, said that the flats have been neglected for some time now and matters seem to be getting worse day by day.
“Walls are breaking, chunks from the ceilings are falling out and rubbish piles up as there are only three bins for dozens of residents across two sets of flat buildings. Whenever you call municipality to ask for things to be done, the only feedback we get is that there is no money. Now the residents of our flats have to come together and sort things out. We feel like we are being victimized because we did not sign the new lease. The neglect from municipality seems to have worsened since we refused to sign the new lease agreements,” said Raju.
She added that safety concerns, such as fire hoses being non-functional, exposed iron on stairs and exposed manholes, fall on deaf ears.
The majority of residents living in the flats are SASSA grant recipients, and having to pool money together with fellow residents to cut the grass, organise waste removal and repair whatever breaks, cuts into the limited income they live off each month.
eThekwini Municipality media relations officer, Luthando Ngubane, requested reference numbers, photographs and further information to assist the relevant municipal departments to verify concerns and conduct the necessary inspections. The SUN provided the details and no further response has been received at the time of publishing.
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