The stairs that collapsed under Michè Pheiffer as she was visiting her sister at a block of council flats in Ocean View.
An Ocean View woman has accused the City of negligence after she fell through a collapsed staircase at a block of council flats and fractured her ankle.
Michè Pheiffer, 22, said had been on her way to visit her sister, Tammy, on the second floor of Uiltjie Court, in Milky Way, on Monday June 26, when she had felt her one leg “go” and had found herself on the ground as the concrete stairs below her had disintegrated.
Her mother, Berenice Pheiffer, said the staircases in the flats in Milky Way had been in a poor state for “a very long time”, and Tammy, as well as neighbours, had reported the problem to the housing office several times and as recently as Tuesday June 20.
Berenice said Michè had been in “severe pain” and unable to get up, and they had called the fire service to help. Michè was taken to False Bay Hospital where her ankle had to be broken to align it.
X-rays taken the following day, said Berenice, showed that the bones were not aligned, and Michè had to go back to theatre for her ankle to be broken a second time to align it.
“My child is in so much pain. Who is going to take care of her rehabilitation? She could have been dead as she fell on her back,” Berenice said.
Michè was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, June 27.
“I am in so much pain at the moment, and the City should be held liable because of their negligence,” she said.
She said she could not move and was unable to take care of herself and her five-year-old son.
“Everything is a struggle and it is very difficult for me because I’m an independent person, and now I have to rely on my family to get things done.
“It is going to take a long time for me to recover from this, and who is going to take care of my son while I’m bedridden? No one from the City has even been here to see how I am doing. I am very angry at the moment.”
Berenice said some staircases around Ocean View had been repaired, but the Milky Way flats had been “ignored” until the day after Michè’s fall when municipal staff had come out to repair the Uiltjie Court staircase and one at another block.
“Why must something bad happen before the City does something? These flats have not been upgraded since the 1970s.”
In response to questions from the Echo, the City said in a statement that Michè’s injury was “unacceptable”, and acting mayoral committee member for human settlements James Vos promised a full investigation “with corrective action”.
The staircase where Michè had fallen had now been repaired, as part of a R13 million programme to upgrade 32 staircases at council flats, he said, adding that the work was part of R1.2 billion in spending on public-housing repairs and maintenance.
“The City takes this matter very seriously, and the safety of our tenants and occupants is our priority. I have instructed that corrective action is taken and that the staircase repairs programme is expedited in Ocean View and elsewhere. My heart really goes out to our injured resident and I am truly saddened by this incident. It should not have happened and it is an acute learning to us all to do better, faster,” Mr Vos said.
Berenice said the City had been in contact with her for medical reports and to find out what shoes Michè had been wearing on the day of the accident.
“I told them that Michè did not slip; she fell through the stairs.”
City Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carelse said a crew from Kommetjie Road fire station had been sent to the scene at 4.35pm and had treated the woman, and an ambulance had arrived at 5pm to transport her to the hospital.
Western Cape Department of Health spokesperson Natalie Watlington said Ms Pheiffer had been seen at False Bay Hospital on Monday June 26 and kept overnight.
The City says unsafe staircases can be reported by calling 021 444 0333.