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- A Joburg family is accusing the University of Johannesburg of neglecting structural repairs after their home was damaged by its floodlight pole.
- Shereen and Neil Mark's home was severely damaged in September last year. They told News24 their furniture, ceiling and walls have not been fixed, five months after the incident.
- UJ, however, says it fixed the solar geyser, roof and wall paint.
A family has accused the University of Johannesburg (UJ) of neglecting to repair their home after a floodlight's pole at the UJ AW Muller Stadium collapsed on their house last year.
News24 reported on the incident in September, saying the collapse had severely damaged two homes and a backroom structure.
UJ said the Bunting Road campus pole had fallen due to strong winds.
It relocated the family to temporary accommodation in Melville during the assessment of the damage.
However, homeowner Neil Llewellyn Mark told News24 that they had moved back in November, despite their house having visible cracks.
"The agreement with UJ was that the portion of the house was going to be rebuilt, which they never did. [Later], they said they would fill the cracks because they were advised it was not necessary to rebuild the portion of the house. The crack is still there. We can't even hang curtains because we fear they might fall. They did not replace my window. My sofa and ceiling are still damaged," Mark said.
Mark said their attempts to get assistance from UJ had been ignored. "They keep telling us they are waiting for the big boss," he said.
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His wife, Shereen, was left traumatised by the incident and required counselling, he said.
"We don't know what to do. We told them that Shereen never went for counselling. When there is a hard noise, she gets frightened, and I fear that she will live with this for the rest of her life."
UJ spokesperson Herman Esterhuizen said the university had repaired the roof and solar geyser, as well as repainting the walls. He said it was in the process of getting approvals to replace the couch.
He added that the university would be in contact with the family to arrange counselling.
