The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is appalled by dreadful living conditions in most Gauteng hostels. The sad state of these hostels is a result of the ineffective Hostel Redevelopment Programme led by the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements (GDSH) and Department of Infrastructure Development (DID). While the programme was intended to transform hostels into family units, it has instead caused turmoil and distress among residents.
Hostel residents continue to be exposed to poor living conditions, namely, Madala hostel in Alexandra, Actonville hostel, and Thokoza hostel in Ekurhuleni. These hostels are old, dilapidated, and uninhabitable. The sewage is spilling into some of the rooms, and the Actonville residents’ desperate attempts to block it demonstrate that hostel residents have not been a concern for the Gauteng Provincial Government for a while. Meanwhile, the lack of visible evidence of the renovations promised to Thokoza hostel residents is a testament to the broken promises.
Since assuming office as Premier in 2022, Panyaza Lesufi has consistently spoken about transforming the face of hostels. The reality on the ground is further confirmation that the Premier is all talk but no action. To date, not much has been done to improve the living conditions in hostels across the province. Hostel residents continue to live in inhumane and unsanitary conditions that pose severe health and safety risks.
Additionally, Premier Panyaza has been deviating from the mandate of the Hostel Redevelopment Programme, which requires 65 hostels in Gauteng to be upgraded. There is little hope that hostel residents will be prioritised in the upcoming Premier State of the Province Address (SOPA), which is essentially a roadmap for the Gauteng government.
Residents should not have to endure such inhumane conditions. Promised improvements must be delivered promptly.
A Democratic Alliance (DA) government would tackle the persistent challenges of hostel redevelopment by getting all spheres of government to collaborate in upgrading hostels into decent family units. Instead of shifting the goalposts and evading responsibility, we would move to improve living conditions in all Gauteng hostels by balancing resource allocation between creating new infrastructure and maintaining and refurbishing existing infrastructure.
Gauteng residents deserve a government dedicated to averting the imminent crisis stemming from the deteriorating infrastructure in our province.