A recent attempted invasion and illegal occupation of certain units at the Nancefield Retirement Village has prompted Joburg MMC for housing, Mlungisi Mabaso, to intervene at the Nancefield Old Age Home in Eldorado Park.
During a visit to the facility, Mabaso addressed the concerns of residents grappling with rising crime and inadequate security, vowing to introduce measures aimed at safeguarding the senior citizens living in the community.
The situation last week came to light when a resident, who wished to remain anonymous, highlighted that certain units have fallen into the hands of younger individuals claiming to have inherited them from their grandparents.
She lamented: “Yes. I can confirm that there is crime, and noise occurring around here because some units are now in the hands of people who say they inherited these units from their grandparents, which is illegal as these units should be reserved for other old people who need to be accommodated here.”
Compounding the issue, a staff member at the facility spoke candidly about the perilous circumstances faced by the elderly. She explained that criminals exploit insufficient security measures, stating: “At night, criminals sneak in through the wall and terrorise the elderly. There have been incidents where grannies have been assaulted as a result of poor security around here.”
The chairperson of the Nancefield Retired Citizens Society, Bernard Vertun, shared the difficult realities of managing the needs of the elderly residents, revealing that he frequently receives distress calls in the middle of the night concerning maintenance issues, such as leaky taps and malfunctioning lights.
He stressed the necessity of addressing the illegal occupation of units. “The laws are clear regarding what should happen should an elderly person pass away or leave the facility. That unit should be given to the next deserving elderly person because the waiting list is long,” Vertun affirmed.
During his oversight visit on Friday, Mabaso expressed gratitude for the community leaders, residents, the ward councillor, and city officials who acted swiftly to thwart the attempted invasion.
He emphasised that the Nancefield Retirement Village, like many other facilities owned by the city, is exclusively designed for senior citizens who are selected from a managed waiting list.
Highlighting the growing issue of unlawful occupancy, Mabaso disclosed that over 21 unauthorised individuals are presently residing in units at the facility due to families disregarding the rules.
“We are looking into upgrading the facility. There was a boundary wall constructed, and a guardhouse was also built. We made a request to the city for the deployment of additional security personnel in addition to the ones that were already present,” said Mabaso.
In a bid to bolster the safety of residents, the Department of Human Settlements has outlined several strategic measures: upgrading security infrastructure, including the installation of an electric fence along the existing boundary wall, constructing an additional guard house, increasing security personnel for routine patrols, and activating a biometric access system to control entry into the property.
Moreover, Mabaso has indicated that he intends to petition the court for eviction orders against the 21 unauthorised occupants, reinforcing the commitment to maintaining the integrity of the retirement community.
“We will be petitioning the courts to help us effect eviction orders against those who are illegally occupying some of these units as the laws do not allow people to inherit units based on the fact that they were staying with their grandparents in this facility,” he added.
The Star