Residents of Maxwell Court in Claremont, Johannesburg, say they are living in fear as their municipal-owned building continues to deteriorate, leaving families without reliable water, functioning lifts, and safe living conditions.
The nine-storey building, which has 60 units and houses about 300 people, has fallen into severe disrepair. Residents say broken water pumps mean there is often no running water, forcing elderly residents, women and children to carry buckets up several flights of stairs.
For many families, the situation has become unbearable.
Residents say ongoing leaks throughout the building have led to severe mould on ceilings and walls, raising serious health concerns, especially for children, the elderly and people with respiratory illnesses.
Althea Mentor, who has lived in the building for years, said the conditions are both dangerous and heartbreaking.
“Ongoing water leaks have caused severe mould in the ceilings of most of our homes. The situation is not only damaging the building, but it is putting our health at risk, especially for our children and elderly residents and those with breathing problems,” she said.
Mentor said residents have repeatedly raised their concerns with authorities, but little has changed.
“We have reported these problems many times, but the situation continues to worsen. No one should be living in the conditions we are living in,” she said.
She added that residents are no longer asking for repairs but want to be relocated.
“We have old people carrying water up the stairs because there is no running water and the lifts are not working,” Mentor said.
According to residents, the lifts have been broken for years, making life particularly difficult for elderly tenants living on the upper floors.
Mentor said many of the younger residents have moved out over time, leaving elderly people and women to struggle with daily tasks such as fetching water.
“My father is the one who welds the stairs when they crack because there is no maintenance,” she added.
Residents also claim that the City of Johannesburg had promised to relocate them by 2024, but that promise has yet to materialise.
Another resident, Steven Van Royen, said the lack of services has also been linked to the fact that many residents no longer pay rent or municipal services.
“No one is paying rent, electricity or water,” Van Royen said.
He said he has applied for an RDP house and is willing to relocate anywhere as long as it is safe.
“People just want a decent place to live,” he said.
Long-time resident Carthy Watiker, who has lived in the building for 20 years, said life at Maxwell Court has been difficult for years.
“Living here has been rough, first with crime and now with the building falling apart. We have been trying to communicate these issues to the City of Johannesburg,” she said.
Watiker added that the lifts have not been working for more than a hundred days, making daily life even more challenging for residents.
A former resident, who asked not to be named, said the building was once well maintained.
“When I first moved here before 1994, residents paid about R300 in rent. The building was clean and well taken care of,” she said.
She added that Maxwell Court was originally built for pensioners, but conditions have changed drastically over the years.
City of Johannesburg Human Settlements spokesperson Penwell Dlamini had not responded to queries at the time of publication.
