CRACKING walls, leaking taps, overflowing drains and neglected surroundings are among the daily realities faced by families living at Wema Hostel.

The hostel, also known as SJ Smith Hostel, was built in 1946 as a form of accommodation for men working in Durban.

More than 30 years into South Africa’s democracy, residents of Wema Hostel say they are still trapped in conditions they describe as degrading and unsafe.

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They claim that basic service delivery has collapsed following years of decay and neglect.

Residents threaten to boycott the upcoming elections

Chairperson of Wema Hostel, Bongani Jwara, said growing frustration over deteriorating living conditions and poor service delivery has led some residents to consider boycotting the upcoming local government elections.

“We recently held a meeting to discuss whether we should vote in the upcoming elections or not. The situation is dire, and as residents, we feel forgotten because service delivery at the hostel is poor,” said Jwara.

He said residents are living in unsafe conditions, with some buildings showing signs of serious deterioration. He claimed that many occupants fear for their safety on a daily basis and believe urgent intervention is needed to prevent further damage to the structures.

“We live in houses that could collapse at any time. Residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the state of the hostel, including infrastructure challenges and maintenance issues, but no progress has been made,” he said.

Jwara said residents are calling on the relevant authorities to urgently address the conditions at the hostel and improve service delivery before the situation worsens.

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He added that advocating for an election boycott is a form of protest.

DA conducted oversight visit at the hostel

These concerns came under the spotlight during a recent oversight visit by the DA, led by provincial leader Sithembiso Ngema, who toured the facility on June 19 to assess living conditions and engage directly with the community.

“When one looks at the conditions of these hostels and the blocks around Wema Hostel, it shows that they could collapse on people at any time. The state of these hostels tells you that people have been put in coffins. The toilet system is shocking, and the walls could collapse at any moment,” said Ngema.

Ngema said it was unacceptable that, more than three decades into democracy, residents were still subjected to what he described as inhumane living conditions.

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“After the dawn of democracy, people are still subjected to these inhumane conditions. Billions of rands have been spent on hostel upgrades, but the truth is there has been no meaningful change here,” he said.

Ward 75 councillor Sbusiso Siveshe said there are programmes in place to revamp the hostel and address residents’ concerns.

Rebuilding project halted over compliance issues

“Several problem areas within the hostel have been identified, and maintenance managers are currently working to address those issues. Block F was demolished, however, the rebuilding project was halted after the provincial government raised compliance concerns, as the development did not meet eThekwini Municipality’s requirements. We hope that the project will resume soon so that residents receive improved services and better living conditions,” he said.

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