11-07-2025
Deteriorating conditions inside Helen Joseph Women's Hostel in Alexandra
Women living inside the Helen Joseph Women's Hostel in Alexandra endure uninhabitable conditions: Collapsing ceilings, persistent sewage flooding, flooded laundry rooms, relentless fear, and overcrowding.
Residents say these challenges can be attributed to years of neglect by the city.
Among the affected residents is Lena Sebotsane, who has been living in the hostel for 38 years. What was once a place of refuge for Sebotsane, and other residents, has deteriorated into a space of hardship. 'Most of us are from rural places, and we had a good life here, but now, we don't know what to say or where to go. We don't even have water in the bathrooms. When you go to the toilet, you have to use buckets of water to flush.'
Some of the laundry rooms are flooded with water, and one of the old kitchens is flooded with raw sewage, which is exuding a foul stench. On one floor, residents say raw sewage once flooded the entire laundry room. To keep it out of their rooms, they had to stack sacks of sand at the entrance of the corridor. It has since subsided, but the stench remains.
Also read: Public Protector confirms receipt of Helen Joseph Hostel complaint
The issue of sanitation and sewage has plagued the residents for over a decade. It appears in a report by the SA Human Rights Commission, which addresses a complaint about the state of the hostel lodged by a resident in 2012. The report noted that irregular water supply and the poor state of plumbing in the hostel impacts sanitation.
Furthermore, it notes that leaking water pipes from upper floors are causing damage to the ceilings below. Still to date, similar challenges persist. Inside the hostel, there are leaking and collapsed rooves. Some taps function, while others are broken, spilling water beneath sinks.
Also read: ActionSA complains about the misuse of funds at Helen Joseph Hostel
For DA councillor Bea Campbell-Cloete, the living conditions are shocking and disheartening. 'Our jails look better than what our women and children are expected to live in,' she stressed, following her oversight visit to the hostel on July 10. 'There is raw sewage running everywhere. Some of the sewers have been leaking for years. The stairs are just about ready to collapse. In some areas you can see from one floor to the next.'
Campbell-Cloete has vowed to escalate the matter beyond local government, to provincial and national levels. 'We need to ensure that, if we make accommodation available for our women and children, we must also keep them safe.'
Alex News reached out to the city's Human Settlement Department for comment. Further updates will be provided once given.
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