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With the completion date of the project expected to be in June, Sisulu said it was important to begin the project immediately.
“We need to do this as quickly as possible. Our people have been deserving of this for a very long time. It’s not right that they live in these conditions,” Sisulu said.
#Covid19inSA| 2 500L Water storage tanks donated to Mamelodi hostel dwellers by Ambassador Tobias Elling Rehfeld on behalf of the Danish government. This comes as Minister @LindiweSisuluSA inspects the Temporary Residential Units (TRUs) in Mamelodi this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/EzGpgMZPSZ
— Water&SanitationRSA (@DWS_RSA) May 14, 2020
“We promise we will make sure that you are put in an environment that is habitable.”
Sisulu also reiterated that no one would be forced to move into the TRUs.
Each unit costs around R60 000 to build and the Mamelodi hostel will consist of single and family units, according to Sisulu’s department.
Officials from the South African Human Rights Commission said they would be monitoring the project and its implementation.
Sello further said residents at the hostels were happy about the idea of reducing the number of people living in the rooms. However, they wanted to see the project come to fruition because the government had made empty promises before.
He said, because of the congestion at the hostels, Covid-19 could spread quickly.
Sello added that the hostels were in a bad state- there was no maintenance, and this exacerbated the already poor living conditions of those who call the hostel their home.
