WATCH | Sewage spills, illegal electricity and crime plague Saulsville hostel - TimesLIVE

With sewage pooling outside their front doors, crime threatening their safety, and unemployment leaving many without opportunities, residents of Saulsville hostel in the City of Tshwane’s ward 63 say they have little hope that their lives will improve as another election approaches.

Illegal electricity connections, a shortage of proper toilets and the trauma of a mass shooting add to a list of problems they say have gone unresolved.

When TimesLIVE visited it on Tuesday, the Murray and Roberts hostel block had a large pool of sewage water lying directly in front of people’s homes.

The foul smell was so strong that it reached inside the houses, with residents complaining that they can no longer bear the stench. Thick grass has grown around the stagnant water, leaving residents to live with raw sewage right on their doorsteps.

Peter Makola, whose house is affected, said it felt like he lived in sewage and he cannot escape the smell even with the doors closed.

Using long steel rods, Mokola tries to unblock the sewer.

He said residents used to pay R333 per family house and R100 for a single house for services, but they have since stopped paying because of the lack of delivery.

Residents at the Saulsville hostel are complaining about services. A resident shows how a blocked sewer is running infront of his house despite having reported it to the municipality. The community also complained about crime and unemployment. This is the area where a mass shooting at an illegal tavern was reported late last year. Read more: https://t.co/p1U64AtkfN

On another block, the ground is dry and littered with stones, discarded material and patches of overgrown vegetation. A narrow footpath winds between the buildings and trees, offering a glimpse of the everyday environment in which residents go about their lives.

Thick black cables that illegally connect electricity run on the ground.

Late in 2025, a mass shooting occurred at an illegal tavern in a nearby block, which also appears neglected, with overgrown vegetation.

For 30-year-old Shane Silolo, who lives in block S, a normal day includes waking up and sitting around all day, as he is unemployed.

TimesLIVE spoke to him while he was sitting under a tree outside his hostel room, a routine he follows daily.

“I wake up, smoke weed, read books because there is nothing to do. I don’t have money to travel. I rely on the R370 grant which is also not enough for food. I sometimes sleep on an empty stomach,” he said.

He said he will be voting for the first time on Wednesday.

“I had no reason to vote before. I am going to vote because I believe the party I will vote for will bring change. I want change where we live, so that we can have toilets. Using the same toilet puts our lives at risk. I have been unemployed for almost three years, and I do odd jobs,” he said.

Another resident, John Uwane, also expressed frustration about unemployment.

The 56-year-old said they use an illegal electricity connection and would like the municipality to provide electricity so that they can pay.

“Almost every weekend there are gunshots. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We live in fear. I am going to vote, but I need a new party that is going to take care of me. I have already decided,” he said.

Uwane said he depends on grants, which he says are not enough.

“I have been voting for the ANC, but on Wednesday I am changing my vote. Thirty-two years voting for Mandela, I have given up hope. I have never worked a permanent job in my life, I am starving. Then they promise me R350. What will I do with R350? It doesn’t even buy anything in the house. It doesn’t even buy trousers. It only buys mealie meal and meat for one day,” he said.

Solly Lekgoro said he is sick and tired. He said he has been voting since 1994 and is struggling to make ends meet.

“It seems like I will die before I see change. We will see this time. I am going to vote.”

Residents have expressed concerns about the area’s councillor, who they say is ignoring their pleas.

According to community leader Sengani Mudau, about 7,000 people live in the hostel, and in a block, about 200 people are expected to share three mobile toilets. Some have even dug their own pit toilets.

“The biggest challenge that we see is unemployment; crime is high, and infrastructure as a whole is also a problem. The number of people we have now is more than before — we have people from different provinces,” he said.

People get hijacked, people are killed, he said, and no one knows why.