Kewtown residents staying in City-owned flats can finally breathe a sigh of relief as their roofs, which were blown away by the Cape storms last month, have finally been fixed.
The Athlone flats were giving residents headaches as the roofs were leaking, forcing some people to abandon their bedrooms to sleep in the kitchens to avoid getting drenched in the rain.
Residents say they will now have peaceful nights again thanks to the Daily Voice’s intervention.
An excited Marchelle Parkins, a mom of four, said: “You (the Daily Voice) put pressure on them to have our roofs fixed.
“Our councillor stopped listening to us and if we did not take this to the newspaper we would still be living with open roofs. My child has a fever because of the rain.”
Work began on Wednesday with municipal workers installing new roof tiles.
Marchelle feels they should be compensated for enduring the bitterly cold weather as some people have gotten sick, making them more vulnerable during the Coronavirus pandemic.
“They should pay something because they should have fixed this the day after the storm, not a month later.”
The City blamed the lockdown for the delay in repairs.
Local Ward Councillor Rashid Adams said he has been nagging Disaster Management as well: “I was on their case because the residents were complaining to me every day.
“I apologise for the delays but I am happy that everything is fixed now."
He says he will closely monitor the repairs: “I will check the work when it is complete and if I am satisfied with it I will let the residents know.
"What happened in Kewtown must not happen again.”