Some Lotus River residents claim their appeals for repairs at their flats have largely been ignored, even after several calls to the City.
The council flats in Lotus River that require maintenance work are in blocks such as Maple Court and Coral Court, and those in Magnolia Avenue and Grysbok Avenue, according to community activist Lyle Lawrence.
“The walls are cracked. The windows there are falling apart, the staircases are rusting and the ceilings are becoming safety risks.”
Resident Nadia Williams claimed 19 block of flats needed repair work. She feared for the residents of these structures, especially how strong winds and stormy weather will be withstood.
Lotus River resident Anita Ravens’ window is barely hanging on at her flat. (Supplied) Credit: Supplied 
Some of the staircases are starting to rust at blocks such as Maple Court and Coral Court and other council flats in Magnolia Avenue and Grysbok Avenue. (Supplied) Credit: Supplied 
A crack has started to form in the corner of the kitchen of Lotus River resident Anita Ravens’ flat. (Supplied) Credit: Supplied
“The blocks in Sixth Avenue have 150 units in total. I also spoke with an elderly lady whose whole flat needed maintenance work, who said she reported this to the City three years ago.
“So when it rained the water poured in and she had to spread black bags on the floor. She also had an issue with her staircase, which had started leaning to the other side. It also looked as if a hole was starting to form near the corner of the ceiling in her kitchen.”
People’s Post spoke to senior citizen Anita Ravens, who lives at Corral Court in Kudu Avenue.
She said she complained countless times about rotting walls and ceilings at her flat for years now.
“Three of the windows at my house have already rusted, I can’t even open them anymore because I’m scared it would fall completely off. My bedroom’s windows are also broken, so when it rains my floors are completely soaked.
“There’s also hardly any putty on my windows. The City keeps saying it is waiting for a welder to come through and fix the problem, but no-one has shown up yet.”
Ravens said she struggled to move around at her flat on her crutches.
“I can’t keep walking to the City’s municipal offices. It’s been almost three years that other residents and I have complained to the City about these problems we have with our windows. When the winter comes our houses will be soaking wet inside.”
People’s Post received recent screenshots of C3 complaints to the City from residents concerning broken window frames and cracked walls in Magnolia Court and Corral Court, which were sent since the beginning of April.
In response the City said it was aware of the required work and the necessary repairs will be addressed and completed in due course.
“Due to the high demand for repairs at our public housing rental units, the City prioritises critical and emergency work across the metro,” it said in response. “We operate using a triage model to ensure the most urgent needs are addressed first. Maintenance and upgrades of our more than 45 000 council housing units continue to be a priority programme. We are one of the largest landlords in South Africa. The task is huge, but the resources are limited.
“However, the City’s Human Settlements Directorate has a total priority investment in public-housing maintenance and repairs of more than R1,2 billion over the next three years. We therefore have a complex, multiyear and thorough maintenance programme to roll out, based on data, starting with emergency work.”
People’s Post also reached out to ward councillor Donovan Nelson who also promised to raise the matter with the City.
