South Africa: No Budget, No Plan - Joburg's Old-Age Homes Maintained Only If Funds Are Available

By Anna Cox

The City of Joburg has admitted that it has no dedicated budget specifically to maintain old-age homes, leaving residents forced to fund repairs.

The City of Johannesburg has admitted that its old-age homes are maintained without dedicated budgets - and the situation has deteriorated to the point where councillors are now appealing to neighbouring residents to help the elderly living with leaking geysers, blocked drains, damp-filled units, broken sanitation and failing security.

In responses tabled at the March 2026 council meeting, following questions from DA councillor Neuren Pietersen, whose ward includes Dewetshof, the City's Department of Human Settlements said maintenance is funded through a centralised pool and prioritised based on "need, risk and budget availability", meaning repairs are carried out only if funds are available.

The department further indicated that even urgent repairs are undertaken only "subject to budget availability" - a system that leaves known defects unresolved and helps explain why conditions in these facilities continue to deteriorate.

The disclosure follows Daily Maverick's earlier reporting that the City is already struggling to sustain the portfolio. By September 2025, only 19.31% of residents across the City's 39 old-age homes were paying rent in full and on time.

For context: Joburg's abandoned elders -- inside the City's failing old-age home system November 30, 2025 The City's old-age homes operate on a...

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