Johannesburg Roads Agency defends its pothole repair track record in Ward 94 after being called out by councillor
JRA says Ward 94 has not been neglected, insisting major repair work has been done and that full operations have resumed, as councillor David Foley raises concerns over long-standing potholes and deteriorating roads.
Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has rejected claims that Ward 94 has been neglected, following months of mounting frustration from residents over persistent potholes and deteriorating roads in the area.
This comes after Ward councillor David Foley raised concerns about longstanding service requests that, according to him, have gone unanswered for more than eight months.
JRA’s head of regional operations Khaya Gqibitole said the perception of neglect is inaccurate, noting that significant work had, in fact, been completed during this period.
“Ward 94 has not been neglected at any point during the past eight months. A considerable amount of work has been completed, most notably the repair and restoration of sinkholes, among other improvements.”
Foley also questioned whether resources were diverted away from Region A due to the G20 summit preparations earlier this year.
Gqibitole confirmed that the region was affected, but stressed that all teams are now fully functional. “Region A was impacted by the G20, taking into account that Lanseria International Airport is located within the region. All teams are currently fully operational and actively attending to the backlog.”
Foley has been calling for lasting solutions for heavily burdened routes, such as Robert Bruce, Fountain, Riverside, and Marlbarton roads, roads originally built for low-volume agricultural use, but now carrying traffic from mushrooming residential developments.
Gqibitole said plans are in place, but progress has been slowed down. “The depot has a plan in place to carry out maintenance on the above-mentioned roads. However, the weather has unfortunately not been very favourable.”
On questions about why kerbing, bulk infrastructure services, and pedestrian walkways, allegedly paid for through developer contributions, were never implemented, JRA referred the matter to infrastructure planning.
Also read: JRA’s Operation Restore ends 3-year uneven road battle in Paulshof
According to JRA’s acting head of department for infrastructure planning Mpho Maruping: “External contributions for roads and storm water are levied by the City of Johannesburg when there is a change in land use on a specific erf.
“The contributions are used for the upgrade of roads and storm water infrastructure in the greater Johannesburg area and are not site-specific. They are used where a specific service needs to be upgraded, or where a specific upgrade was identified.”
Foley raised alarm over temporary sand-filling measures being used to make roads passable, calling them unsafe and unsustainable.
Gqibitole said the agency is actively working to reduce safety risks.
“JRA is working extensively to ensure that all safety risks on the roads are addressed.”
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