Thousands of people living in RDP homes across the Western Cape are at risk of contracting TB or diarrhoea, after a study found a direct link between defects in the poorly built homes and people falling ill.
The study found that the health of backyarders was better than that of people living in the homes.
The study by researchers from the University of Stellenbosch and UCT found that leaking roofs, cracked walls, insufficient insulation and meagre sanitation facilities negatively affected health.
After the findings were made public earlier this year, the city’s Human Settlements portfolio committee requested a more detailed report. The report which analysed the study said health issues needed to be considered in housing policy and design.
TB and diarrhoea were the key conditions linked to poor design and maintenance of the RDP housing, the report said.
Leaking roofs was one of the most common problems, the study found.
“... The study revealed that the majority of the owners interviewed could neither afford to maintain the houses nor to repair the structural defects,” read the city report on the study. According to the study, 99 percent of the respondents could not afford repairs to their home.
The study also found that 33 percent of the respondents had had diarrhoea in the two weeks before the study. The report on the study said 38 percent had TB.
“The lack of proper insulation and ventilation, as well as over-crowding, were the major contributors to this problem,” said the report on the study.
The study, which was done last year, included a survey of 1 080 people at 336 “dwellings” in Driftsands, Tafelsig, Masiphumelele and Greenfields.
Fatima Ismail of Tafelsig was one of the respondents.
Entering the home, a small passage of just a few paces leads to an open-plan kitchen and dining area. Because there was only one bedroom, Ismail converted the dining area into a bedroom. There is a small passage leading to the bedroom, which is opposite the toilet.
The homes are untiled, with only cement floors.
All RDP homes are between 30 and 36m2.
Ismail moved into her one-bedroomed home about three years ago. She shares it with her husband and their five children. The family has spent thousands of rands trying to make it more liveable.
Ismail said when she moved in there was no bath or wash basin. They had to bathe in a plastic basin in the kitchen. For the first month, Ismail said they used a candle before installing electricity.
She has plastered the bedroom and front room, where four of her children sleep on double bunks.
Ismail has removed the plastic sink and replaced it with a glass one.
However, patches of thick mould are still on the bedroom walls and in the dining room. When it rains water often seeps into the house.
“I didn’t ask any questions when they told me I was getting a house. I was happy, I just jumped for it. I’m not ungrateful, I’m happy my children have a roof over their heads.”
Fatgia Davids, another Tafelsig resident, said her disabled son, Mogamat Zaid, suffered constant “sickness and allergies” since they moved in.
She said she was grateful to the city for building a ramp at her home which made it easier to move wheelchair-bound Mogamat.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said he had lodged several complaints with city officials about the state of his house.
Ernest Sonnenberg, the city’s mayoral committee member for housing, said although some of the houses had been built by the city, the majority had been built by the provincial government.
He said the city agreed with the study that there were problems with the general upkeep of the homes. The city believed the key reasons for this were unemployment, poverty and a lack of education. “We did not understand the causality between the actual design of the RDP houses and the spread of disease.
“Over-crowding, unemployment and low levels of education are all contributing to poor maintenance and the improvement of the houses, and are more social and economic factors rather than design factors.”
Sonnenberg said RDP houses were privately owned after they were built, so it was the home owners’ responsibility to maintain them. - Cape Argus
The study found that the health of backyarders was better than that of people living in the homes.
The study by researchers from the University of Stellenbosch and UCT found that leaking roofs, cracked walls, insufficient insulation and meagre sanitation facilities negatively affected health.
After the findings were made public earlier this year, the city’s Human Settlements portfolio committee requested a more detailed report. The report which analysed the study said health issues needed to be considered in housing policy and design.
TB and diarrhoea were the key conditions linked to poor design and maintenance of the RDP housing, the report said.
Leaking roofs was one of the most common problems, the study found.
“... The study revealed that the majority of the owners interviewed could neither afford to maintain the houses nor to repair the structural defects,” read the city report on the study. According to the study, 99 percent of the respondents could not afford repairs to their home.
The study also found that 33 percent of the respondents had had diarrhoea in the two weeks before the study. The report on the study said 38 percent had TB.
“The lack of proper insulation and ventilation, as well as over-crowding, were the major contributors to this problem,” said the report on the study.
The study, which was done last year, included a survey of 1 080 people at 336 “dwellings” in Driftsands, Tafelsig, Masiphumelele and Greenfields.
Fatima Ismail of Tafelsig was one of the respondents.
Entering the home, a small passage of just a few paces leads to an open-plan kitchen and dining area. Because there was only one bedroom, Ismail converted the dining area into a bedroom. There is a small passage leading to the bedroom, which is opposite the toilet.
The homes are untiled, with only cement floors.
All RDP homes are between 30 and 36m2.
Ismail moved into her one-bedroomed home about three years ago. She shares it with her husband and their five children. The family has spent thousands of rands trying to make it more liveable.
Ismail said when she moved in there was no bath or wash basin. They had to bathe in a plastic basin in the kitchen. For the first month, Ismail said they used a candle before installing electricity.
She has plastered the bedroom and front room, where four of her children sleep on double bunks.
Ismail has removed the plastic sink and replaced it with a glass one.
However, patches of thick mould are still on the bedroom walls and in the dining room. When it rains water often seeps into the house.
“I didn’t ask any questions when they told me I was getting a house. I was happy, I just jumped for it. I’m not ungrateful, I’m happy my children have a roof over their heads.”
Fatgia Davids, another Tafelsig resident, said her disabled son, Mogamat Zaid, suffered constant “sickness and allergies” since they moved in.
She said she was grateful to the city for building a ramp at her home which made it easier to move wheelchair-bound Mogamat.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said he had lodged several complaints with city officials about the state of his house.
Ernest Sonnenberg, the city’s mayoral committee member for housing, said although some of the houses had been built by the city, the majority had been built by the provincial government.
He said the city agreed with the study that there were problems with the general upkeep of the homes. The city believed the key reasons for this were unemployment, poverty and a lack of education. “We did not understand the causality between the actual design of the RDP houses and the spread of disease.
“Over-crowding, unemployment and low levels of education are all contributing to poor maintenance and the improvement of the houses, and are more social and economic factors rather than design factors.”
Sonnenberg said RDP houses were privately owned after they were built, so it was the home owners’ responsibility to maintain them. - Cape Argus
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