LEAKING sewers, leaking roof, lack of water and electricity are the conditions under which the residents of Jeppe Hostel live.
Part of the hostel in Joburg no longer has a roof at all after it was blown away by a strong wind in 2016.
IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa visited the hostel on Thursday, 1 February after residents wrote to him, asking for his intervention.
Hlabisa, who visited the area together with community representatives, described the conditions as inhumane and uninhabitable.
"I see overflowing sewage everywhere. Children live here and they are exposed to such dangerous conditions," he said.
Hlabisa accused the ANC-led provincial government of failing to provide for the communities.
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He said the residents of Block 1 had not had a roof for eight years.
"When it rains, people stand in Block 1 until the rain subsides. They cannot sleep because they have to move their beds to covered places. This proves that such things happen when you are led by a government that is failing," said Hlabisa.
He said most of the hostels were a danger to the people because they lacked basic services such as electricity and water.
Residents get their water from a broken underground pipe that runs right through their hostel.
As Hlabisa walked through the hostel, some residents shouted from their rooms that they had no water or electricity. They pleaded with the IFP leader to help them.
He told the residents that they had it in their own hands to change their situation. This would only be possible if they voted out the ANC.
“This year’s elections are ukhetho lwamanqamu. In English that means do or die. It is up to you to free yourselves. You have to give it your all and vote for the IFP. Even an ANC member living in this hostel must vote for the IFP because he faces the same conditions as the rest of you. This year we are voting to remove criminals from power,” he said.
Hlabisa also visited the George Goch Hostel.
He said if the IFP comes to power, it will deport all undocumented foreign nationals.
“The IFP is not against foreigners. We are against xenophobia. We just want them to be documented so that they can be easily tracked down if they commit a crime,” he said.
Jeppe Induna Mzothini Mvelase said the sewerage system has been overflowing for 25 years.
He said they have been to all offices both in the municipalities and the provincial government asking for help, but nothing has been done to respond to their problems.
“We have a big problem with crime because it's dark inside. People are having their cellphones stolen in the passages and they can't even identify the thugs,” said Mvelase.
He said he was happy that Hlabisa had responded to their invitation and hoped that the government would respond to their cries.
IFP ward councillor Themba Mkhize said he believed the hostel was being neglected because most of the residents were IFP members.
“Service delivery has eyes in Joburg. In other areas they would do something, but when it comes to this place, they turn a blind eye,” he said.
