MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Disgusting Transnet Railway Flats

By

Dear Editor

Crumbling infrastructure drowning in sewage and garbage, as well as rampant crime and drug abuse are just some of the issues affecting the lives of residents of the Transnet Railway Flats in Gqeberha – robbing them of their dignity and right to a safe environment.

Today, 21 February 2024, I was joined by Ngqura Constituency Leader, Leander Kruger MPL, DA NMB Spokesperson for Human Settlements, Cllr Masixole Zinto, as well as local DA councillors and activists in conducting an oversight inspection at this dilapidated building in New Brighton, Gqeberha.

We interacted with residents and found several deeply concerning issues that include:

  • Lack of security and access control to the property.
  • Lack of public lighting within the grounds of the property.
  • Lack of solid waste refuse removal.
  • Sewage spillages within the grounds of the property left unattended for extended periods.
  • Refuse dumped within the grounds of the property.
  • Vandalised hall facility that poses a severe structural safety risk as well as appears to house drug users.

Across the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, Transnet is failing to maintain and secure its properties and the 196 forgotten families living in the Railway Flats are a prime example of a community being held to ransom.

The Railway Flats facility is one of several Transnet properties that must be added to the Metro’s problem buildings list and we will be writing to the city manager to request urgent intervention in this regard.

Ngqura Constituency Leader, Leander Kruger MPL, has also written to Transnet’s Property Division requesting answers to the issues facing residents, who are living under the most deplorable conditions.

We will also be submitting parliamentary questions asking what plans both the Provincial Government and Transnet have regarding this facility.

The people living in this facility are being dehumanised by Transnet, left to fend for themselves without basic services and trapped in their flats in fear of becoming yet another crime statistic.

The DA will continue the fight to rescue the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay, together we can get the Metro working again.

Regards

Cllr Retief Odendaal
DA NMB Caucus Leader

EDITOR: After many engagements with the residents over a period of time one conversation with the late Annette Du Plessis stands out (Annette was a long time resident in the Flats before passing away): According to Annette, Transnet gave the building to the Municipality and the municipality failed to transfer it to themselves. This left the building in ‘limbo’ and the residents in the position of not having a landlord to pay nor an authority to pay for lights and water to the municipality leaving an absolutely enormous hole in lost revenue to the municipality.

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