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Over 6000 Madala hostel residents in Alexandra continue to live in appalling, inhumane and unsanitary conditions due to the failure of Premier David Makhura’s government to deliver dignified houses to hostel residents across the province.

The Madala hostel residents, like many hostel residents across the province, have lost hope and are tired of empty promises from the current government.

There has been no proper or regular maintenance of the hostel, and the building structure has deteriorated into disrepair. There are water leaks and no electrical connections. The lack of proper drainage systems is leading to regular sewer blockages, resulting in raw sewerage flowing all over the place around the hostel.

See photos here, here, and here.

Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) conducted an oversight inspection at Madala hostel, and was shocked to discover that the health and safety of the residents is severely compromised as the environment is not conducive to human habitation.

We have visited this hostel on several occasions and the living conditions have worsened instead of improving. There are also unfinished temporary relocation units next to the hostels, and there are no timelines as to when they will be completed.

The DA demands answers from the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and COGTA, Lebogang Maile, about his department's plans to address the conditions which the Madala hostel residents are exposed to daily. We also demand that these temporary relocation units be completed urgently so that Madala hostel residents can be relocated while there are looking for a permanent solution.

The DA will also raise this issue with MEC Maile and the Human Settlement and COGTA Portfolio Committee at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

Hostel residents across the province are tired of empty promises from this current government that has failed to deliver houses.

In 2024 when the DA is voted into power, we will amongst other things deal with the corrupt housing lists, conduct an audit of hostel dwellers who have registered for house allocations since 1998/99 and not allocated to ensure that they are also prioritised. We will also push the budget towards maintaining hostels to ensure better conditions than what people are subjected to now.

Issued by Mervyn Cirota MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Human Settlements and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA)