Lerato Mbhiza
Gauteng Human Settlements MEC, Lebogang Maile, visited the residents at the Diepkloof hostel following their protests over poor service delivery.
Maile, along with the executive mayor and City of Johannesburg officials, visited the site to assess the conditions and understand the reasons behind the issues raised by the residents that led to the protest.
Maile said the team would reconvene on Thursday again to settle areas of immediate intervention and to do their best to meet the needs of the people.
Diepkloof hostel residents have grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of housing, electricity and water and they are accusing the local government of making empty promises regarding the improvement of their living conditions.
The community said it will continue demonstrating until they are afforded dignified living spaces with running water and electricity.
Maile said there are 65 hostels across the province and the conditions in all of them are inhumane but the provincial government was looking into the challenges faced by hostel dwellers.
“Because the population has increased in all the hostels, it means that the bulk infrastructure that is there is not enough, it has to be expanded. We will not want to lie and say that tomorrow we will solve all the problems. However, we are committed to making sure that we look at these problems in the short-term, medium-term, and long-term, working with the city.”
Maile promised the hostel leaders that he would return on Thursday with officials from both the province and the local government.
“We are meeting with leadership on Thursday, and we’ll ask the mayor to join us with the MMC so that both spheres of government are here and we are to say what’s realistic.
“The good thing is that the financial year of the city is starting now in April, and the province’s starts in June. So the things we want to do will find expression in the budget.”
The hostel, which is over 50 years old, is home to 8,000 people who share less than 100 mobile toilets.
Speaking to the media on Monday, hostel leader Sibongiseni Khoza said residents deserve better living conditions.
“We want to be treated like other people in the township. Let’s not be treated like pigs because that’s what they call us hostel dwellers here.”
The electrification process of the hostel was concluded and there were plans for Joburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda to launch it earlier this month, but the event was cancelled at the eleventh hour.
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