Residents demand urgent repairs for rental flats amid R37.5m arrears

CHATSWORTH’S rental housing stock tenants are calling for urgent repairs to their flats despite owing nearly R37.5 million in arrears to the eThekwini municipality.

- ZAINUL DAWOOD.

The problems of Bayview (863 flats), Westcliff (713 flats), and Crossmoor (28 flats), totalling 1601 flats, came under the spotlight at an eThekwini council meeting on Wednesday.

Approximately 1501 tenants are in arrears with their municipal accounts, with the breakdown as follows:

@ Bayview: R16 million

@ Westcliff: R19 million

@ Crossmoor: R2 million

But Ganas Govender, eThekwini ward 69 councillor, said that most of the residents could not afford to pay because of social issues, disputes with inflated bills, unemployment and tenants relying on government pension grants to survive.

Govender also raised concerns about legal and illegal tenant status which the eThekwini Human Settlements and Infrastructure unit stated that it has records of. The unit was also aware of illegal structures built and methods to deal with both illegal tenants and structures.