Burst pipes, flooding and staircases falling apart have Ocean View residents accusing the City of Cape Town of turning a blind eye when it comes to service delivery.
Cindy Steyn, an Ocean View resident, claims she waited three months for the City to respond to a pipe burst that caused severe damage to her ceiling and walls as well as hazardous electrical outlets.
“They (the City) only came to sort out the water leak on Tuesday and today (Thursday 2 May), but they still have to send electricians to check whether it is safe to use the electrical plugs and circuit board.”
Steyn, who babysits her two grandchildren aged two and three during the day, is anxious and concerned that her flat could catch fire since the pipe burst and soaked electrical sockets and plugs with water before being fixed.
“A pipe burst under the bath of my neighbour who lives in the flat above me and that water was running down into our flat for months.
“There was water everywhere and it took the City months to come to fix that leak even after numerous visits to the housing rental office to report the problem.”
Worried
The grandmother claims that she asked the City to check out the electrical outlets but was redirected to approach the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements.
“They told me that it’s not their job to fix electrical boxes. The electrical box, where I punch in my electricity tokens, is soaked in water, the light switches and plugs are covered in water and I have babies here during the day.
“I’m so scared that the electrical box will catch fire, it’s so worrying because I take care of my disabled grandchild during the day.
“I need the City to come and fix the electrical sockets, and ensure that it won’t catch fire.”
Her daughter Kim-Lee Thomas, who does not live on the premises, claims her mother was left with a hole in the ceiling, damaged walls and a broken oven.
“We are so scared and have been to the housing rental office numerous times, they know about the issue but nothing has been done,” says Thomas.
According to community leader Sophia Grodes, pipe bursts and water leaks are a common problem at Cherry Place rental units.
“There are many other people complaining, it is not only her house with the water and electricity issue, but the City turns a blind eye.
“The ward councillor is here every Thursday and writes complaints down in a book and it is never attended to.
“I asked him on Monday to log the issue and that is why they came today for the leak, but not the electricity.”
Staircases
Another issue residents are faced with is aging staircases.
“The staircases remain untouched while the City’s staircase upgrade project is taking place at other rental flats in Ocean View,” says Grodes.
According to the City, since 2018, the City spent approximately R200 million on staircase upgrades, including the repair and replacement of more than 1 300 priority staircases.
In addition, at the end of last year, R30 million was made available for the staircase project in Lavender Hill, Lotus River and Ocean View.
An estimated 160 000 people benefit from the affordable rental public housing units.
“They (the City) are not fixing the staircases, they started on the opposite flats with new staircases but they keep missing the flats at Cherry Place,” claims Grodes.
Response
Ward 61 councillor Simon Liell-Cock tells the People’s Post that the burst pipe was fixed almost immediately after he was notified.
“To accuse me of not doing anything when I had it fixed almost immediately. They complain but do not log it at the rental office,” he says.
“I am there (in Ocean View) every Thursday but they sit in their flats complaining, not doing anything for themselves.”
He further explains that there are limited resources for fixing the rental units.
“Out of 45 000 residential units across the city, the ratepayers subsidise R800 million a year and a collection fee is only 20 percent that is due, so it is not like rent covers the costs,” he says.
“Many people have good accommodation for a good rental.”
Commenting on the staircase upgrades, Liell-Cock explains that there is simply not enough capital to have everything fixed at once.
“It costs R11 million for 20 stairs, so it is expensive work. We need 100 staircases, so we need around R55 million and money doesn’t grow on trees,” he said “We don’t have endless capital.”
“ Some roofs are fixed but it is ongoing repairs and maintenance. Sometimes they need to take responsibility for where they live.”
In response to the complaints, the City of Cape Town said work is currently being carried out at residential units in all areas.
“City teams are prioritising emergency maintenance and repairs,” the statement read.
“The City has not been provided with the reference numbers for the specific requests mentioned so that a detailed response request could be provided.”
