Gugulethu hostel residents say years of sewage and broken toilets have left them living in unsafe conditions

Residents of three hostels in Gugulethu, Cape Town, say they have endured leaking roofs, broken toilets, blocked drains and stagnant sewage for years. Mtshutshisi Lise, chairperson of Nobantu hostel, says more than 300 people live in its roughly 120 rooms and repeated complaints have not brought lasting repairs. He cites illnesses including tuberculosis and says some residents are forced to relieve themselves on the floor when toilets are locked. The municipality says wider hostel transformation plans still depend on external funding.