By Palesa Matlala
- Residents say the government keeps making empty promises every five years without real action.
- The City says R10 billion is needed to fix all hostels but there’s no money.
For decades, people living in the Dobsonville hostels in Soweto have been stuck in horrible conditions while the government keeps making promises it never keeps.
Built during apartheid to house Black male workers from other provinces, the hostels were later converted into family units between 1997 and 1999.
The place was renamed Sphiwe Village when women joined their husbands there.
Bab’Mbatha, who arrived in Johannesburg from Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal, in 1983, remembers better days.
“When I got here, this place was beautiful and well kept. I got married and received a housing permit,” he said.
But more than 40 years later, Mbatha and many others still don’t have title deeds — meaning they’re not recognised as homeowners.
The City of Johannesburg’s MMC for Human Settlements, Mlungisi Mabaso, said they plan to replace old, crumbling buildings with new accommodation types for all hostel residents.
But Mbatha isn’t buying it.
“They say the same thing every five years. Officials come to inspect but never come back,” he said.
He said people have built shacks in narrow spaces, making it impossible to tar roads or get emergency services inside.
“Ambulances, police and mortuary vans have to park on the main road and walk in on foot,” he said.
“Some shacks are built over sewage pipes, which then burst and can’t be repaired. We’re breathing in human waste,” Mbatha said.
“These people need to be moved so the pipes can be fixed. We already have a housing crisis — this makes it worse.”
Mabaso admitted the city has 13 hostels but not enough money to fix them all.
“We need around R10 billion to sort this out but we don’t have that kind of money,” he said.
“We’re looking at integrated development and hope to get help from government and developers.”
He said every cent will go towards fixing hostels, but for now, residents are still waiting.
What used to be a close-knit community has now turned into a hotspot for gang violence, drugs and crime.
Pictured above: A hostel block in Sphiwe Village, Soweto.
Image source: Palesa Matlala
