[imagesource: Donovan McDonald Retirement Centre]

With a person’s eventual retirement comes the hope that they can finally settle down in some peace and quiet.

However, a semblance of this retired life couldn’t be further away for the pensioners residing at the Donovan McDonald Retirement Centre in Roodepoort, who are forced to live in constant fear of frequent crime, with drug addicts and sex workers taken over the property.

A recent terrifying ordeal included a man in a balaclava who vaulted over the front wall and unleashed a hail of bullets into the security guardhouse.

According to a guard, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear, per News24, the gunman trespassed at the ungodly hour of 3 AM on Friday and fired one gunshot through the first window close to where he was sitting.

“It just missed my head. I had to lie down on the floor in fear of my life,” he recalled.

“He ran around to the door and shot several times through the window. He took our phones and fled. I was scared for my life. They [management] still hasn’t fixed the window and told us they would come this Friday,” she said.

News24 toured the property in the wake of this crime and noticed that the guard house had not been tended to, while the rest of the property was also ravished with neglect and deterioration.

Taps aren’t working, bird faeces are scattered everywhere and urine, along with its stench, taints the hallways and staircases. Further along, light fittings and exposed wire dangle from the ceiling on some of the floors while on the sixth floor, a ceiling board is on the verge of collapsing.

Pensioners who spoke to News24 said the centre was meant for senior citizens who received Sassa old-age grants, but many units have been occupied by elderly people living with adult children and grandchildren.

“Things started deteriorating about eight years ago. One of the biggest issues here is crime. You can’t leave anything outside your place because it will be stolen.

“I can’t even sleep properly anymore, because we live among drug addicts. If people could shoot at the security [guards], they can enter our homes as well and choke us to death. We live in fear,” 84-year-old Vivian Hope told News24.

The City of Johannesburg has attempted to evict unlawful occupants at the centre through the court, but this has failed a number of times. Roodepoort Record notes that the Department of Human Settlements suffered yet another setback in court in their ongoing attempts to evict illegal occupants.

The City stated that units were originally assigned based on strict vetting and selection criteria to ensure only those truly in need could occupy them. However, in its application, the City admitted it had lost control of the centre and could no longer account for who was residing there.

The City reported that numerous units and common areas at the centre were in disrepair or had been vandalised, also claiming that some units were illegally occupied with residents engaging in drug use and dealing in others and that one unit was even being used for sex work.

However, the court dismissed the application on the basis the illegal occupiers posed no threat to others and the property. The court determined that the City failed to satisfy the legal criteria for an urgent eviction order, particularly the requirement to show a “real and imminent danger of substantial injury” associated with specific unlawful occupiers.

According to responses shared with the Roodepoort Record by the Department of Human Settlements’ communications manager, Neo Goba, the department contends that the judge erred in his initial ruling.

“Addressing the issues set out in the judgment would not have provided the immediate relief necessary to protect the elderly residents,” Goba said.

“Given the conditions at the centre, it’s difficult to identify exactly who is behind the criminal behaviour when many illegal occupants and activities are happening in secret. Although the City took reasonable steps to present evidence of risks posed by unlawful occupiers, it is also imperative to note that the prospects of success of each case are not always 100%.”

69-year-old Lesley Khan pleads with the judge to “come and live here for a week, and then you will see what is happening over here,” adding that safety is a major concern for residents, and the centre lacks maintenance and repair.

“We are afraid and not safe at all. How can that judge say that these people are not posing a danger to us here [at the centre]?”

Despite this latest setback in court, the department said it remains committed to addressing the situation at Donovan McDonald Retirement Centre.

“We are pursuing other legal processes under the PIE Act to evict unlawful occupiers through regular court procedures.

Additionally, they are continuing to work closely with law enforcement and other departments to improve security at the centre, including increasing patrols and monitoring for illegal activities, Goba said.

[source:news24]