The Merewent Cheshire Home for mentally and physically disabled people in Durban needs donations to keep its water running and electricity on, while it also needs to repair or replace its only bus, which was broken last year.
Image: Independent Media archives
A home for needy people who are living with disabilities in Durban is facing threats of having its electricity and water services terminated for non-payment of bills to the municipality.
The 33-year-old Merewent Cheshire Home, which was opened on June 1, 1994, houses 35 people who are mentally and physically disabled and orphans in the south of Durban.
The residents are at the age of between 18 and 60 years old.
Its facility manager, Winnie Mkhize, said the institution owes the municipality approximately R400,000 in water and electricity bills.
“Even yesterday they came to terminate electricity supply, but I stopped them by telling them they cannot do that as we are providing essential services as a non-profit organisation,” said Mkhize.
DA’s eThekwini municipality mayoral candidate, Haniff Hoosen, recently posted the plight of the home on his TikTok page, which he mainly uses to campaign for the upcoming local government elections.
Mkhize said at one point, the electricity and water were terminated, but she called a senior municipality official, who gave instructions that these services should be reinstated.
“Without these services, we cannot cook meals for our residents, and they could not take a bath, and others were at risk of not being able to be provided with oxygen.
“Without electricity, we cannot operate our office as we need to send emails, and we also need lights at night to bathe the people and care for them,” said Mkhize.
She said the home also needs a fund to install solar panels to reduce the electricity bill, which she said is over R40,000 a month.
“The funding from the government just covers salaries and cannot pay for any other necessities.
“We have tried to bring down the bills because electricity cost is now at almost R380,000, while the water bill is now at R50,000 after its (water) was reduced by 50%, and we paid R350,000.
“Now they just send people every two or three weeks to come and cut us off, and we always tell them that we don’t have money,” said Mkhize.
Municipality’s Marketing and communications director, Mandla Nsele, said the city does not discuss customer account details with third parties.
“Customers who require further clarity regarding their municipal bills are encouraged to visit the City’s Revenue Services Directorate or their nearest Sizakala Centre.
“Furthermore, customers are advised to bring any relevant supporting documents to assist in resolving their queries,” said Nsele.
Mkhize said the home also needs to have its 24-year-old bus repaired so that its residents can be transported to medical institutions.
“We have been raising funds for a bus for the disabled through a telethon since the one we have is now 24 years old, but it broke down eight months ago, and we need funds to repair it.
“We are still calling out for help because the telethon only raised R300,000 while we need more than R500,000 to repair it,” Mkhize said.
She said the bus has special features to accommodate wheelchair bound people when they have to be taken to clinics, sports events, and schools.
“Without the transport, we cannot provide such services, which have stopped since September last year.
“The new bus with necessary modifications is costing R1.6 million,” she said.
She further said his institution had been for years sending requests to various organisations, private companies and other foundations that fund needy people.
“But we have not received a response, nor has a casino that has been funding us said it only funds the operational costs.
“Another private company, which previously funded us to renovate the home, said we are not meeting the priorities it is funding, and therefore we are left without money to buy a new bus,” she said.
In his TikTok post, Hoosen is requesting kind-hearted people to donate as little as R5 up to R500 to keep the doors of the home open.
He also said he will soon make a representation calling on the municipality to provide the institution with some debt relief.
Hoosen said following his posting, some popular businessmen and women donated, although it was still not enough.
“When I put up the video, there were several ordinary people in Durban who said ‘we want to contribute’.
“Yes, there was some contribution,” said Hoosen.
He also acknowledged that the municipality has given the home some debt write-off.
“I must not be unfair to the municipality because it did give them a short-term solution,” he said.
He said during his visit, he found the home well-managed.
“Those guys who managed the place will have a place in heaven as they take such good care of those people who are disabled mentally and physically.
“They are providing a service that not even the government can offer in terms of quality, which in my view is extremely high, largely because of the type of people that are operating the venue.
“They don’t only care, but they go beyond the call of duty to provide love, care and support,” he said.
He described the home as “very hygienic” and with signs that the staff put love into cooking the meal.
He said institutions that provide in-kind care services to the vulnerable should be provided with free electricity and water “to a certain limit”.
“There are hundreds of households in eThekwini who can afford to pay but are not being charged, whereas there are these institutions that are taking care of disabled people.
“The municipality must be supporting these institutions with free basic services because they are not generating revenue and instead they rely on the goodwill of the public,” said Hoosen.