By Rafieka Williams
Residents from District Six are livid over the poor construction of their homes, accusing the building contractors tasked with construction of sub-standard and shoddy workmanship. Residents moved into their homes issued by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform as part of the restitution for victims of forced removals from District Six during Apartheid. Resident say they feel unsafe in their own homes and claim the structures are falling apart.
Shanaaz Arnold, secretary for the District Six Community Forum said that she’s received a number of complaints about what they’ve described as the poor workmanship of the houses. She said residents have experienced their ceilings caving in, constant leakages in plumbing, sinkholes in their back yards, no lighting in the passages, a lack of facilities for waste removal, but more than anything, a dysfunctional ventilation system which has caused major health problems.
One of the main causes of the structural problems are as a result of a dysfunctional ventilation system. On a visit to the complex this week, VOC News found that the weep hole ventilation system which comprises of narrow slits on the outside of the buildings were not adequately cleared and therefore blockages in these weepholes allow for rain to seep into the structures. When residents asked an experienced contractor to inspect the problem, they discovered bags upon bags of rubble blocking the ventilation.
Another resident Aisha Salie explains: “Anybody that lives on the corners, they were being flooded out in winter when we have rain. Then the rain goes inside – the rooms are damp, it’s rotten, they have to pick up the carpets.”
Hafsa Stargen has a young daughter with sickle cell anemia who constantly falls ill because of the damp in their home.
“I have a three year old and she’s been in an out of hospital because of that. She gets sick all the time,” she said.
Stragen’s geyser was placed in a cupboard in one of the bedrooms, which residents say is a disaster waiting to happen.
The residents are also discontent with the response they received from the construction company responsible for building the houses. After residents sent through their complaints to the contractor, his company attempted to fix some of the latent defects which they are obligated to do but even these services were inadequate. Arnold said the quick fixes were not good enough to repair the problems, which essentially was caused in the building of the houses.
While VOC News could not reach the construction company in question, the District Six Beneficiary and Redevelopment Trust (D6 Trust) put the situation in context. According to trust chairperson Dr Anwah Nagia, the first batch of homes was built in 2004 and the second batch in 2011, under the auspices of the government and the Trust as a watch dog. When the homes were handed over, the residents mandated the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to set up a Reference Group and Trust was “dumped”.
“While we listened to the people, we did not agree with what was said. We don’t agree with the vileness and hatred towards people [the Trust] who assisted with the development of these homes,” he said.
At the time, the Trust created what was called a “Social Compact”, which explains the tenure of occupation in District Six. The social compact also serves as a basis for long-term economic and social development for the community. Dr Nagia said the social compact was disregarded by the community, which he believes was a “disservice” to them.
“Some residents managed to speak to the trust’s Nas Allie and the project managers about the snags. If they are saying there are more snags, then we will assist the residents,” said Nagia.
“We have heard conflicting stories about residents not doing maintenance on their homes. But if there are structural issues such as sinkholes, this should be done as a matter of urgency. The city and department of land affairs must be engaged to assist these residents.”
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Nagia affirmed that the building standard that the Trust used as a benchmark for the construction of the homes was one of the highest in South Africa.
“Snags are the reality, but at what point your snag list is seen to is the question…”
For disgruntled residents, there would be recourse through the National Building Regulations and through the building contractor, via the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.
Nagia believes the aversion to the Trust stems from “political machinations and political opportunism” which has also fuelled factionalism within the District Six issue. This form of community politics is a major obstacle to restitution, he added.
“There are a lot of people that don’t support us. But that’s democracy and we are prepared to listen to the people. The pain that people are suffering must be addressed and this must be done by the Department of Rural Development.”
VOC News contacted the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform who stated that they were in the process of drafting a statement. VOC