A frustrated Parkwood tenant says he has been trying to get the attention of the City of Cape Town for months to make repairs to his flat’s roof.
Alida Court resident Graham Adams said hazardous pieces of asbestos have broken off and there are holes in the roof where birds have made their nests.
He said he logged a complaint at the Ottery Housing Office, in August, but has had no response.
He said the ceilings and asbestos roofs in Parkwood had to be replaced decades ago already, “but there has always been some or other reason for this not to occur.”
“If there is a strong wind it can cause a hazard as pieces of asbestos may end up on people’s cars.”
Other flats also need attention, said Mr Adams, who said his sickly mother is afraid to open her window as there is a bird’s nest right outside and she fears the birds may come inside.
The nests also block water from flowing down the gutters, he said.
Ward councillor William Akim said he is aware of Mr Adams’s problem and the City has been busy upgrading the Parkwood flats for three weeks.
“They are installing window frames, replacing the gutters, and will be painting and cleaning the roofs.
However, the construction company was supposed to start at Alida Court, but somehow there was a misunderstanding and they are now busy with Beulah Court.”
Malusi Booi, the City’s mayoral committee member for human settlements, said the City was aware of the work that needs to be carried out at Mr Adams’s flat.
“The City investigates all complaints made by residents of its rental units.”
He said Alida Court will undergo a number of essential maintenance upgrades to improve the condition of the roof and the building.
“Repairs and the replacing of roofs at the City’s Community Residential Units (CRUs) across the metro is ongoing. The work includes repairs to leaking roofs and other general maintenance repairs.”
The Parkwood CRUs are close to 50 years old, said Mr Booi.
“The City is trying its best to complete its projects at its CRUs across the metro in the shortest possible time frame. Our public housing department has spent close to R1 billion in maintenance and upgrades to its CRUs over the past two years.
The health and safety of our residents is our priority and we thank our residents for their patience while we attend to repairs and maintenance at City-owned properties across the metro as quickly as we can.
We encourage tenants to call the City’s call centre for their urgent repairs and follow up for their required maintenance. Tenants must please remember to request a reference number so that they can track the status and progress of their service requests,” said Mr Booi.
