LIFE AS A HOSTEL DWELLER!
Story by: Nhlanhla Khomola
THE hostels are now home to families, not only men. There's no privacy at all.
Each section of the hostel houses more than 10 people. Siyanda Ntuli (26), who has been living at the Dube Hostel in Soweto for five years, described the living conditions as "hell".
He told Daily Sun that ever since he arrived at the hostel, he has never seen any change. “Our fathers and grandfathers endured the horrible living conditions which we are also forced to endure,” he said.
"We have sleeping arrangements issues. Since we have three beds in one room, three people are forced to share a bed."
YOUTH FACED WITH LIFE CHALLENGES
Story by: Nhlanhla Khomola
lIVING in a hostel is a major challenge for unemployed youth. Now, they face the added burden of cramped and overpopulated living conditions daily.
Entering the Diepkloof Hostel, with rental shacks all over the place, you feel a static electrical shock and a tingling sensation as you're walking.
Residents are forced to bend over to avoid touching izinyoka connected to the shacks. Walking through the shacks is a nightmare, as electricity shocks can be felt on one's feet.
"The shacks in here leak. I'm not working. I rely on my kid’s grant."
14 Years of empty promises!
Story by: Nhlanhla Khomola
Residents are disappointed with the Gauteng Human Settlements Department after years of empty promises.
For 14 years, Dube Hostel dwellers in Soweto have been forced to endure the unpleasant conditions of living in cold shacks.
This comes after they were moved from their dilapidated hostel structures by the government in 2010, while they were promised decent houses. To this day, the promised houses haven’t been built.
"The problems we face in these shacks is that they are not covered from the inside."
Families forced to share toilets
Story by: Nhlanhla Khomola
While one section of the hostel has been repainted and refurbished, Thandaza Ngcamu (24) complains about a lack of privacy.
“This place is not suitable for humans. Both men and women share one shower and one toilet,” she said.
Thandaza has been living at the Dube Hostel for the past 12 years.
"Sharing the shower and toilet with a different gender doesn’t sit well with us."
Abahlali live in fear and danger
Story by: Nhlanhla Khomola
Residents of Dube Hostel in Soweto feel forgotten. From being moved to temporary shacks 14 years ago to living in toilet hell without privacy, the hostel dwellers had to endure the pain of being forgotten by government.
After complaining about not having a community hall, the residents find themselves having to look for an alternative place to hold meetings.
"What bothers me is that during election time, politicians frequently come here with their empty promises."
Kids' lives at risk at hostel
Story by: Nhlanhla Khomola
WATER and sanitation issues are a major concern for hostel dwellers. Lack of drainage systems has created an unbearable stench at the Diepkloof Hostel in Soweto.
Entering the hostel, one's met with rubble next to the tap, and water flowing all over the streets. This is due to the lack of drainage systems.
Kids are exposed to an unhygienic environment, with rubble dumped all over the place. Stagnant water causing mosquitoes, which lead to diarrhoea, is a daily reality for the hostel dwellers.
"We are struggling. In this day and age, we still don't have decent toilets."
Our kids are being 'raped'
Story by: Nhlanhla Khomola
DILAPIDATED structures and a stinky smell welcome visitors to Diepkloof Hostel.
Hostels were first introduced in the mines and later in townships like Soweto. They were meant to house black men from rural areas in Mzansi who provided cheap labour under the apartheid government.
Taking Daily Sun through the hardships of living at Diepkloof Hostel, single mum of three Nkosingiphile Skhakhane said she never thought the hostel would one day become her home.
The unemployed mum has been living at the hostel since 2008.
"We are struggling. In this day and age, we still don't have decent toilets."
Abahlali live in toilet hell
Story by: Nhlanhla Khomola
BROKEN and filthy toilets with a terrible smell are the order of the day for Dube Hostel dwellers.
Some of the residents have been on housing waiting lists since the dawn of democracy, yet there’s still no hope for better living conditions with no development in their water and sanitation issues.
More than 50 people share a toilet, which has no door, is filthy, has an unbearable smell. The toilet has become a thugs' playground at night.
Hostel induna Kwenza Mpongose told Daily Sun eight units rely on using the toilet which pose a danger to residents, especially women.
"Women and children also share with us. And we also share one tap."
Another failed housing project
Story by: Nhlanhla Khomola
ANOTHER failed housing project: Who is to blame?
The Dube low-cost housing units, which allegedly cost R95 million, were vandalised before beneficiaries could move in.
The construction of family units kicked off in 2007.
To date, the units remain vandalised, with no one taking responsibility for this dismal failure.
"When the flats were built, the government had told people they were building RDP houses."
20 people in one house!
Story by: Nhlanhla Khomola
FOR YEARS, Diepkloof Hostel residents have been forced to live in dilapidated housing units.
They claim this poses significant danger and is disaster waiting to happen.
Residents said they have nowhere else to go and are forced to endure unpleasant living conditions.
In 1998, the government moved some of the residents from the old structures to shacks as a temporary measure.
"We're tired of empty promises. We refuse to be government’s playground."
Nhlanhla Khomola - Multimedia Journalist
Working on the Soweto hostel project opened my eyes to the daily struggles of people living in tough conditions, many can't imagine. I saw first-hand how these communities survive without basics such as proper toilets, reliable water supply, safe housing, and working infrastructure.
Morapedi Mashashe - Photographer/Videographer
The Soweto Hostel Horror project was hair-raising. I had to be careful about what I said because any negative comments about hostel dwellers could get me kicked out. It seems we impressed hostel izinduna because they offered us uphuthu and braaied ox liver for lunch.
Nhlanhla Khomola (Journalists) | Morapedi Masheshe (Photos and Videos) | Kgotso Modise (Video Editor) | Desmond Pitoyi (Revise Sub) |Solomon Mahapa (Revise Sub) | Wendy Mathebula (Homepage Editor) | Thabiso Nkosi Content Manager (Layout &Graphics) | Stories subbed by Content Managers | Doreen Molefe (Deputy Editor) | Concept by: Amos Mananyetso (Editor) | Stephens Molobi (News Editor)