As the sweltering sun shines amid the hustle and bustle of central Johannesburg, a mild breeze fills the atmosphere as lively security guard, Gavin Matshusa welcomes visitors animatedly at the reception of Dakalo Student Court.
Sporting a navy-blue uniform emblazoned Joshco with fine white print at its top left, which stands for Johannesburg Social Housing Company, Matshusa stands idly behind a large computer screen, skimming and scanning through CCTV footage beamed from mounted cameras that keep a birdy-eye on movements around the building.
With a bald head, he greets visitors in his indigenous language, isiZulu — “sawubona” — and this creates a polite welcome. The word carries the importance of recognising the worth and dignity of another, and Matshusa expresses it well.
Located at the intersection of Simmonds and Wolmarans Streets in the Johannesburg Inner City, Dakalo Student Court, dubbed the “place of happiness,” is 1.3km away from the Joburg Theatre. It is situated near shopping centres, mass-scale public transport nodes such as Park Station and Bree Taxi Rank, as well as institutions of higher learning, including the University of Johannesburg, Damelin and Wits University.
With a biometric access system in place, students at Dakalo are vetted each time they access the building. Security personnel are always on hand to assist those who are just visiting, as they are expected to share personal information to gain entry.
After being checked by security, entrants to the building are met by large-scale white walls stretching to the high roof, serving as a symbol of the cleanliness, freshness, simplicity, and purity of this place.
Outside, when tenants approach Dakalo, they’re greeted by the loud sound of construction workers chatting at the nearby Powerhouse bus depot while playing cards. The humdrum tone of fast-moving traffic creates a high-pitched sound at the intersection of Simmonds and Wolmarans streets, shuttering the peace.
It is quiet inside the building, though, a stark contrast to the outside, and tenants are going about their personal business. One odd-looking student stands with heavy luggage by the stairs, looking like she is moving in. Dakalo Student Court ambassador, Thulisile Charlotte Mabena, asks her where she is going, and she says to do her laundry. This illustrates the general camaraderie between students that live here.
Mabena is enrolled in a course in Humanities at UJ and is from Kwa Mhlanga, in Mpumalanga. The Dakalo Student Court caters for both male and female students, disabled people, bursary and cash students, and has also secured relations with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for students to receive accommodation here. The building consists of 89 units stretched over 6 storeys, with each floor containing 17 bachelor units, as well as two-bedroomed units and two bathrooms.
The student accommodation comprises studio bed-sitters with shared facilities. Each bedroom has a study table, a desk lamp, a chair, a bed, a micro-oven, a refrigerator, two touch-induction cookers, and a wardrobe. Winding stairs provide flexible mobility for students who are fit, while those with physical impairments use the elevator freely.
Monthly rentals cost between R3 500 and R4 100, while bachelor rooms are R4 100, with shared rooms for two going at R3 700, while communal rooms for four charge R3 500 per person. Dakalo is kitted out with free Wi-Fi and a large communal TV room.
There are currently over 40 students staying here, and certain floors, like the 6th one, are still under construction. The lease agreement is for 10 months, from February to November for UJ and other students from various institutions of higher learning, and for Wits students, it starts from March to December as they only reopen in that month.
With the globe plagued by the Covid-19 pandemic, tenants of Dakalo can sip on refreshments while unwinding with friends on the rooftop, enjoying panoramic views during the warm season, and snapping pictures of the Johannesburg skyline to ease the jitters.
Andile Khwezi, a 19-year-old UJ student from Kensington, Cape Town, expresses happiness with Dakalo, saying it’s safe, secure, and remarkably close to her university and major transport nodes.
Wearing a brown sweater and grey beanie, Ncwedi Ndlela, a swanky 19-year-old UJ student, says Joshco’s Dakalo has created a convenient ambiance for its tenants and feels more like home. Ndlela is from KwaZulu-Natal and studies Information Technology (IT) at UJ. He says Dakalo has all the necessities a student could wish for.
Joshco aims to develop a student precinct within the Inner City that offers a secure and technologically enabled environment based on the smart city approach. It is hoped this will enhance the living and learning experiences of students from diverse backgrounds and will contribute to academic success for those from previously disadvantaged neighbourhoods by improving commuter time and living conditions.
The City-owned entity, which builds and manages rental and social housing units for people in the low-income bracket, has seemingly taken a successful foray into student accommodation to close the housing gap for undergraduates. Plans are afoot to ramp up the supply of units dedicated to students in the Inner City. The municipality currently has over 20 institutions of higher learning and the target is to provide 5 000 beds for students over the next three years.
Written by Gontse ‘GeE’ Hlophe
16/11/2021