AfriForum urges authorities: Help old age home residents who live in dire conditions here

The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and the Department of Social Development clearly aren’t concerned over the elderly residents of the Presidentia Old Age Home in Springs. AfriForum has already sent two letters to the Municipality and the Department this month in which these residents’ dire living conditions regarding the infrastructure are highlighted. The Municipality, which oversees the old age home, only sent an acknowledgement of receipt of the letters. AfriForum has not received any thorough feedback on the plan of action to improve the elderly’s conditions, while no physical improvements have yet been made to the infrastructure.

In these letters, sent on 1 and 13 October respectively, AfriForum calls on the Ekurhuleni Metro and the Department to urgently intervene and investigate allegations of a lack of maintenance at the Presidentia Old Age Home, located at Brand Street in Geduld, Springs. Problems regarding maintenance date back as far as 2014 and leave the vulnerable residents despondent and frustrated. AfriForum initially requested a full written response on the first letter by 13 October, but when nothing was received, another letter was sent to those involved.

Issues that residents must live with daily include geysers that aren’t working, leaking and blocked drains, broken toilet seats, sewage leaks, broken windows and ceilings, dirty and unkempt gardens and broken cupboards.

When community members offer to do renovations at the premises, city council officials will allegedly put a stop to it. In the meantime, it has been confirmed to AfriForum that the caretaker of the nursing home is not allowed to do any repairs himself but is only allowed to report problems, which unfortunately does not yield any results.

A further concern is the weakened security infrastructure. The broken palisades and the main gate of the premises, which is left open during the day, pose security risks, while break-ins have already been reported on the premises.

“AfriForum will continue to apply pressure until the residents have a clean and safe home in which they can live with peace,” says Nadia Olckers, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the East Rand.