EKURHULENI mayor Ntombi Mekgwe says she "appreciates" the grievances that were raised by hostel dwellers in Thokoza.

EKURHULENI mayor Ntombi Mekgwe says she "appreciates" the grievances that were raised by hostel dwellers in Thokoza.

At a press briefing yesterday, Mekgwe said that the metro is working on a programme of action.

She said that at the time of the protests last week "the municipality was in discussions with the hostel residents, but some may have become impatient" because the winter weather aggravated their plight.

Residents went on the rampage last Tuesday protesting at the slow pace of delivering water, electricity and sanitation.

They also raised concerns about the slow pace of rebuilding hostels into family units.

Mekgwe said that converting hostels into family units was on hold because the Gauteng housing department still had to approve geo-technical studies of the dolomitic land on which the hostels were built.

She admitted, however, that cleanliness and sanitation were issues that "the people should not even have to demand because that is what municipalities are for".

Mekgwe said that although the nearby Mpilisweni informal settlement was illegally set up, it has been included in ongoing discussions and would be attended to.