Jim Mohlala|Published
Residents of Geneva Court in Scottsdene, Kraaifontein, say they are still waiting for repairs to leaks, damp, mould and other maintenance problems, as the dispute escalates into a political clash ahead of the November 4 Local Government Elections.
The City of Cape Town’s Human Settlements rental housing stock includes Geneva Court. National Coloured Congress ward 7 candidate Megan Fisher says residents approached her for help with leaking roofs and pipes, broken windows, faulty plugs and lights that do not work.
Fisher told IOL Media that she first emailed the relevant officials on 7 September 2026. She says the complaint was escalated to the office of Mayco Member for Human Settlements Carl Pophaim and Head of Office Adv. Tanya Davids, with the ward councillor, the Scottsdene Housing Office and Subcouncil 2 copied in.
After the department requested a consolidated list of units needing maintenance, Fisher says she received no meaningful feedback.
Residents await answers on outstanding repairs
“At one point, I was asked to provide the 25 outstanding units requiring maintenance, which I did as requested. After that, everything went quiet. I received no meaningful feedback on that specific submission, despite the outstanding problems residents had reported,” Fisher said.
Fisher says there is still no reference number for the list and no confirmation of when repairs will take place.
“What frustrates me is that these are people’s homes. Some have been living with these problems for months, and there are elderly and vulnerable residents who need assistance too,” Fisher said.
One of the most concerning cases involves an elderly resident who reportedly uses a wheelchair and has reported flooding and lighting problems in their unit.
Pophaim warns against political exploitation
IOL Media approached Pophaim for comment, and his response was blunt.
“I am not going to allow political candidates to exploit the needs and service delivery requirements of our communities,” he told IOL Media.
Pophaim added: “It is disingenuous for anyone else to make commitments to residents based on their engagements to get service delivery done when due process with the City is not followed.”
He said the City was carrying the financial burden on its own.
“We [City of Cape Town] have committed R900 million over the last three years to upgrade and maintain our rental stock in the face of receiving no additional funds from the state. That means we need to prioritise our funding, but we are doing so systematically,” Pophaim said.
He urged residents to log maintenance requests at their local housing office or through their elected ward councillor so they receive a reference number and the City can be held accountable.
“Residents must please log their service requests at the local housing office and not be misled by political parties to exploit the needs of service delivery two weeks before elections,” he said.
Fisher rejects claims of political point-scoring
Fisher rejected the suggestion that she was using the issue as a political tool.
“I respectfully disagree with the suggestion that I am exploiting residents or making commitments outside the City’s processes,” she responded.
She said she had been responding to a City official who specifically asked for the outstanding unit numbers. Fisher said she had the email trail, photographs and videos to support her account.
“At no point did I promise residents that I could bypass City procedures or guarantee outcomes. My role has been to raise their concerns, follow up and seek accountability where maintenance issues remain unresolved,” she said.
“I am not raising this to score political points. I became involved because residents needed someone to help get their concerns heard.”
“Residents deserve assistance regardless of who brings their concerns forward.”
Resident says leaking water has been a problem for eight years
For residents, the political dispute is secondary to the problems in their homes.
Welma Claasen, 47, has lived in Geneva Court for nine years.
“I stay in Geneva Court, Scottsdene. Water coming from the unit on top of me drips into my unit. Sometimes the water reaches my kitchen,” Claasen told IOL Media.
“I reported the matter a number of times at the housing office, and they never even gave me a reference number. But they did come and said they can’t find where the problem is or where the leaking comes from.”
“I have been staying here for nine years now, and the problems here have been going on for eight years. I think there is a broken pipe in the wall, and that is why we are having these issues.”