Gauteng hostel residents welcome renovation efforts

JOHANNESBURG - Residents at some of the city's hostels undergoing renovations have welcomed the efforts as a step towards better and more accessible living.

Five hostels, including George Goch, Jeppe, Denver and Murray and Roberts, are under a three-year revitalisation project, which ends in May next year.

MEC Tasneem Motara said the plan was to refurbish the hostels and to give ownership back to the occupants in the long run.

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Occupants of Murray and Roberts hostel were pleased with the project, saying they were now able to live in clean, newly refurbished units.

Since the start of the project in 2023, notable progress that has been made at the hostel, including George Goch, and MBA, is the pavement, which the department says, beneath it, lies a new sewer and water line.

It said this was to manage overcrowding, which was straining the system.

However, the department noted the stark difference in progress being made at the Jeppe and Denver hostels, which are two of the biggest hostels in the city.

One resident living at the Jeppe hostel told EWN that the biggest crisis they face is the issue of water.

"If they can just fix the water system for us, because even going to the toilet is difficult, we have to fetch water using buckets outside the hostel."

He said they also wished for the installation of geyers so they no longer have to use fire to heat water.