 Alex
pensioners get homes
Pensioners from Helen Joseph Hostel have brand-new houses, where
they have their own rooms and communal living spaces and kitchens.
IT was a perfect morning for seven pensioners from Alexandra,
despite the cold, for they received their new homes from Executive
Mayor Amos Masondo.
On 3 May, the overcast and chilly weather confirmed that winter had
settled in, but that won’t be bothering these elderly ladies as they
put down roots in their cosy homes in Extension 7 of the township.
Anna Khabane, Thandi Shongwe, Susan Mdatha, Ruth Nkepile, Nomvuyo
Sakwe, Ramadumetja Rapetsoa and Margaret Akgopela all previously lived
in the Helen Joseph Hostel, the cramped, crowded place they had called
home for the past 30 years.
Masondo visited the hostel in 2010 to learn more about their living
concerns, and found that in some instances there were up to six women
per room and that all age groups were combined, despite their
disparate needs.
As a result, the City made it a priority to phase out the hostel
system. The new housing units stand as testament to this. Masondo and
members of his mayoral committee handed over the keys to the first of
the residents.
“We are making sure we restore the dignity of our people through
houses,” said the committee member for housing, Ruby Mathang, at the
handover. “Alex has huge potential for going forward because of its
location, but it is important that it is developed and the potential
realised.”
Job Sithole, the manager of the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP),
explained that the housing structure was designed after they
discovered there were 182 pensioners in Helen Joseph. It comprises six
buildings with four bedrooms. Residents have their own rooms, but
share a common living space and kitchen.
The kitchen comes complete with a stove, which automatically switches
off when a pot is removed and turns on when one is placed on it.
In total, there will be 48 of these rooms and they will be complete
within the next two weeks. “We are putting the finishing touches to
the other units and are currently involved in administrating the
allocation of pensioners,” he said.
Masondo saw the delivery of the new houses as a small but vital step
in resolving Alex’s problems. “The challenge in Alex has been deep and
you can see that there is still lots to do,” he said.
“Our aim is to de-densify Alex by buying land and re-demarcating the
township. The problem is that people have been pushed together on one
small piece of land,” he explained. “What is most important is
restoring the dignity of our people because their dignity was taken
away; we need to ensure we build human settlements and not just
houses.”
He urged Alexandra residents to join hands with the government to aid
development in the township. “There is only so much government can do;
together with the people, we will get so much more done.
“It will be a deadly blow to apartheid to destroy hostels, and we will
do everything possible to ensure we succeed, but we will only succeed
if we work together.”
The ARP is a long-term initiative, with a number of housing models
being tested to fit the lifestyles of Alex residents. “We are
constantly evolving to accommodate the needs of people in Alex,”
Sithole said. “Every time we build we try to respond to the different
circumstances of our people.”
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