Elderly residents of the Nirvana Haven nursing home in Lenasia expressed their protest by burning car tires. The protest was caused by the removal of distribution boxes in several rooms of the institution.
Consequences of Power Outages
The residents' ages range from 75 to 95 years old. The power outage had serious consequences for many residents. Among them are an 84-year-old woman dependent on a ventilator and a 92-year-old resident who suffered burns while boiling water on a gas stove.
Reaction of Politicians and Authorities
This crisis prompted Member of Parliament Imran Musuah to file a attempted murder case at the Lenasia police station. He justified this by citing a violation of the Elderly Act of 2006. Musuah told POST that he received numerous appeals from residents after the protest. He clarified that the city cut off the electricity due to unpaid bills left by previous residents in these homes.
Musuah stated that when new residents moved into the homes of the deceased, the meters were supposed to be replaced. Residents were asked to pay about 14,000 Rands for the meter replacement, but they are elderly and do not have such funds. Power was cut in seven homes, and one 84-year-old woman was on a ventilator at the time of the outage.
Aid and Negotiations
Residents united to find an extension cord to connect the apparatus to a neighbor's power source. Musuah emphasized that the outage occurred without considering the needs of the elderly, who rely on electricity for medical equipment and basic necessities. He intervened, assisting the residents through calls and organizing meetings with relevant departments and authorities.
Residents were advised to go to a service center to fill out documents, which was more than 5 kilometers from their residence. Musuah noted that many of them are very frail and can barely walk. He organized transport for the woman on the ventilator and several others. As a result, a meeting took place today at the home with representatives from the city and the Department of Social Development (DSD). A promise was made that the electricity would be restored by this evening.
Further Steps and Accusations
Musuah warned that if promises are not kept, pressure on the city will continue. After meeting with city officials, Deputy Minister of DSD Ganief Hendrix and he visited the Lenasia police station and filed an attempted murder report. He stated that the city must be held responsible for the lives of the elderly whose lives were endangered due to the power outage, as provisions of the Elderly Act of 2006 were violated.
Nursing Home Management's Position
Faruk Kassim, Chairman of Nirvana Haven Old Age Home, expressed frustration over the lack of response from the city to complaints. He noted that when the previous owners of the homes passed away, the city never came to replace the distribution boxes. When the boxes were removed, officials ignored the serious health risk to the elderly due to the power outage.
About 120 people live in the home. Residents tried to get an extension cord to help a person on a ventilator and another 92-year-old resident who burned himself during the power outage while trying to heat water on a gas stove. Kassim added that they all live alone, are fragile, and ill. They felt their voices were being ignored. They had long complained about having to take out the trash themselves at that age and the lack of a cleaner in the facility. They also asked for repairs to leaking and non-functional water heaters, forcing them to hire plumbers for private work, which was unaffordable for them.
Kassim concluded that it was the power outage and the sight of the suffering elderly and sick residents that pushed them to protest and burn tires. He noted that the protest brought 'good results' because they were finally heard, thanks to the help of Imran Musuah, and they hope the lighting problem will be resolved.