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In the former mostly Indian township of Actonville in Benoni, three old blocks of municipal flats are now ruined, with tenants complaining that the municipality has turned its back on them. The smell of urine and excrement greets visitors to Primrose Court, Flora Court, and Azalea Court, while sewer pipes are broken and rubbish has piled up in heaps. Unoccupied flats have become havens for drug users, some of whom have set up beds. Residents say their washing is stolen from the line, even in broad daylight.
Some of the tenants are pensioners and most others are unemployed, battling to afford rents which were raised in 2023. Community representatives say the municipality assessed each family and families are supposed to pay rentals related to household income. But many are in arrears
Sixty-year-old Saras Nayagar and her husband moved into her in-laws’ one bedroom flat on the fourth floor of Primrose Court in 1998. Her husband has since died and left the flat to her and their son. She has set up a washing line just off the verandah so that she can guard her clothing against thieves whom she claims are wreaking havoc in the building, stealing anything they can find, from metal to shoes and clothes. She says the flat is in a mess; taps, pipes, toilets, and the ceiling have worn out.
At Flora and Azalea Courts, residents complain of the same issues. Children play next to burst pipes. The children’s park nearby has become a gathering spot for homeless people. Residents say a fire broke out last year after some nyaope users lit a fire inside one of the flats. Every month, they raise funds to hire someone to clean the outside of the complex.
67-year-old Shirley Seejeram, who has lived in the flat for 54 years, wants the municipality to start maintaining the flat again and to fix her toilet. Magdalena Erasmus, 58, moved into her flat with her family in 1995. Water taps are broken and the family currently has no electricity because the rental arrears are over R15,000. They have approached the municipality but nothing has been resolved. “The municipality is charging too much money, which we cannot afford. These are the only houses we have; therefore, rentals must be lowered, and we should be given title deeds,” Erasmus said.
Thuli Nxumalo, her husband, and two children remained in their flat after their lease expired in 2015. The family has been battling eviction since 2017 and has been living without electricity after it was cut off. Nxumalo’s late mother left a debt of over R90,000, and the family has accumulated an extra R14,000. They made an arrangement through the court to pay whatever they can afford, but have been unable to keep up. “The government never considered our application for an RDP house, and life has been hard. Being evicted would be the worst thing because we have nowhere else to go,” said Nxumalo.
Community representative Brenda Jacobs says people were evicted from the same flat in 2023, and people living in ten or more flats are also facing eviction. The City of Ekurhuleni’s human settlements department confirmed that Actonville Flats “form part of council owned rental stock.” Asked why the flats were not being maintained, the department said: “The Council repairs and maintains all service breakdowns.”
The government stated that tenants who are unable to pay their rent should provide documentation of family income so that the rent might be lowered. When asked if there were intentions to hand renters title documents, the department said, "Yes, as soon as all administrative processes are followed."
