Deneys Conradie residents suffer without hot water while CoE shifts the blame
by Cllr. Sinethemba Matiwane — DA Ward Councillor for Ward 73 in Ekurhuleni
Date: 16 October 2020
Release: Immediate
Type: Media statement
Elderly residents of Council-owned flats at Deneys Conradie in Benoni, have endured a hard winter with no hot water for nearly five long months.
This after the ANC-led City of Ekurhuleni failed to adequately replace old conventional geysers in the building with solar geysers.
From the outset the transition between the geyser systems was problematic as many of them leaked, and froze up, which meant that the solar panels could not heat up the water.
This proved to be massively challenging for the residents as they were forced to boil water themselves, which drove up their electricity bills, or were forced to collect hot water from the laundry room at lower levels — forcing many immobile residents to use the staircase.
The Covid-19 related lockdown amplified this issue with residents being stuck inside for prolonged periods of time and thereby worsening an already difficult situation.
As the Ward Councillor for the community, I took up the issue with the Department of Human Settlements, who passed the buck to the Department of Energy. The Energy Department responded by turning the power off without repairing any of the defects.
Sadly, while these Departments play the blame game, residents of Deneys Conradie are the ones left to suffer. With mounting pressure on the City to rectify the problem, the relevant Departments remain silent, which is typical of the uncaring ANC-led administration.
The Democratic Alliance will not rest until these residents are accommodated and have access the basic rights of access to electricity. The residents of Ekurhuleni deserve better.
Cllr. Sinethemba Matiwane
DA Ward Councillor in Ward 73 in Ekurhuleni
