SOUTH AFRICA: Pensioners Suffer in Old Age Home of Shame

JOHANNESBURG (The Star), June 1, 2006: Nearly 50 years ago, the Casa Mia in Hillbrow was plush enough to accommodate a queen. Now the building's elderly occupants fear its decrepit condition and poor security will kill them. Council authorities have acknowledged that it is too unsafe to stage a fire drill in what is now a municipal old-age home. And increasingly desperate residents have told The Star that the building is a death trap that has claimed the life of at least one person in the past three months. Haven't had any hot water for the past month On a visit to the home this week, Hillbrow police spokesperson Kriban Naidoo was so revolted by the stench in the building that he had to walk out of a resident's room. "It smells like a corpse. I can't enter this area, it's simply not feasible for me," he said, adding that he had wanted to throw up. "No person should ever live in these conditions." The Star has discovered that residents at the home - once considered one of the most luxurious council old-age homes in Johannesburg - have in the past five months suffered vandalism, eight burglaries and power cuts, and haven't had any hot water for the past month. In a meeting less than two months ago, department of social services regional manager Albertina Ramogase admitted that emergency services staff declined to hold a fire drill at Casa Mia "because the building is not safe and it is not advisable to have a drill until certain areas are refurbished". 'There have been lots of changes, all for the worse' The building's management asked for the drill nearly three years ago. Ramogase said those refurbishments had been not yet been approved. Despite assurances that an evacuation plan for residents would be drawn up by April 7, and promises that the water pumps, boiler room and staircase would be repaired, no plans had been completed. Residents were sceptical that anything would ever be done. Seventy-two-year-old Maria Steynberg showed The Star her blocked toilet and bath, which she claims have been broken for the past year. Fellow resident and World War 2 veteran, 87-year-old Douglas Lord, said the home's poor sanitation and unhygienic food preparation frequently left him suffering from severe stomach problems. Lord survived six years of fighting and was one of more than 300 000 men who were evacuated from Dunkirk in May and June 1940 - an event then described by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as "a miracle of deliverance". "I saw my friend's head being blown off ... I'm a survivor. That's why I can live here," Lord said. "I've been staying here for 20 years. It used to be quite nice once. "But there have been lots of changes, and they've all been for the worse." A decade ago, Casa Mia was run by a matron, received regular visits from social workers, and had a sick bay on the first floor, ensuring that ailing residents were adequately cared for. Today the situation is very different. Three months ago, 89-year-old Daphne van Rensburg was found delirious and naked on the floor of her apartment. A social worker's report noted that she had a cyst in her stomach and had refused food and drink for a week. After Van Rensburg died from dehydration, a fellow resident, Yvonne Murrour, 70, was forced to take responsibility for the disposal of the body. The home's authorities and the social services department reportedly refused to get involved. By Karyn Maughan © 2006 Star & Independent Online (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved