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RUSTED porch lights and broken flood lights offer no security for the residents of Aspeling, Van den Leer, Frere and Stuckerish Courts in Hillary Lane, Lavender Hill.

Residents fear for their safety as night-time offers the perfect opportunity for thieves and other wrong-doers who lurk under the blanket of darkness.

Residents tired of being ignored by the City of Cape Town met on Wednesday, 16 January in front of Aspeling Court to protest poor ser?vice delivery in their area.

A resident who has lived in the flats for almost 30 years says she remembers a time when porch lights worked, but that was a long time ago.

The remains of the lights are rusted; destroyed years ago due to rain water gushing through the broken or non-existent gutters. An added danger is the battered electrical connections to the lights, which are still live and dangerous.

Clive Jacobs, another resident of the flats, says there are sagging washing lines and broken poles in some areas. These lines have to service over 48 households in the courts.

"There are fights in these flats due to the insufficient washing lines," Jacobs says. The re?sidents' concerns continue: many of the rai?lings on the staircases are broken.

"Someone could easily fall and injure themselves," Jacobs says.

Another problem is illegal dumping. The flats are next to Prince George Drive and over Christmas passers-by dumped rubbish close to the flats. This has not been cleared away.

According to Jacobs, residents have written about their need for services in 2005 and October 2007 to their local rent office in Craddock Road, Steenberg, without success.

Residents are also unhappy with their ward councillor, Gerald Morkel, who they say does not pay enough attention to lobbying for the needs of the flats.

Due to illness, Morkel could not comment on the concerns of residents.

South Peninsula Subcouncil chairperson Demetri Qually says in Morkel's absence they should contact his office and speak to the Desireé Mentor, Subcouncil manager, on (021) 784-2001, as it is indeed a matter of importance.

Charles Cooper, media liaison officer for the City of Cape Town, says the residents' concerns are the council's responsibilities.

In an official response from the local housing office, people are advised to call at the office to report repairs needed.

These reports are then recorded, after which the housing office determines if rent payment is up to date, as a portion of the rent is used to cover the cost of repairs.

Only then will the maintenance workshop be notified and the necessary repairs carried out.

The housing office also advises if complai?nants can provide names, addresses and dates of when needed repairs were reported to the office, they could trace these complaints in their records and may be able to supply repair notification numbers.

Cooper says that most often tenants do not want to call the housing office to report needed repairs, because their rent is in arrears.

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