Gauteng roads department under fire over Witkoppen Road taxi holding area chaos
Litter, noise, and crime plague Waterford Precinct as taxis sit on the side of Witkoppen Road at an illegal, informal holding area. Residents demand action from Gauteng Province, who seems to care very little about their concerns.
Residents and business owners in the Waterford Precinct have been forced to endure the devastating consequences of an illegal taxi wash and holding area on Witkoppen Road for years.
Read more: Taxi parking structure sparks outrage in Paulshof
Despite repeated pleas for action, authorities have failed to address the issue, allowing the once-thriving neighborhood to degenerate into a hub of litter, noise, and chaos.
Roye O’Brien, who is the manager of Waterford Office Park Owners Association, a non-profit company, says that the presence of these taxis has destroyed the beautifully maintained grassed pavements, attracted informal trading, and devalued office buildings, leaving property owners and residents feeling frustrated and helpless.
The troubles started in late 2022, he said, after authorities took down a taxi rank on the north side of Witkoppen Road, near the Buzz Shopping Centre.
“A few taxis then started to park on the grass, in the shade under the pine trees on the North side pavement of Witkoppen Road, outside Waterford Office Park, between Waterford Drive and Douglas Drive.
“Taxi drivers were polite when approached and were quite prepared to move, if the authorities could make an alternative site available. This never happened. The taxi drivers soon hired young boys to wash their taxis. The boys drew water from the river behind the Buzz Shopping Centre and carted it to the taxi area. Taxis are washed all morning. Taxi activity peaks between 11:00 and 12:00.”
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He said the number of taxis grows each month, therefore the areas of dust and litter grow, and the area is decaying. “The illegal informal taxi area needs to be halted and moved.”
Ward 115 councillor Mark van der Merwe said he has done all he can to have the taxis relocated, but receives little, if any, assistance from Gauteng Provincial Roads Department.
“Witkoppen is a provincial road and so are the side walks. This has nothing to do with City of Johannesburg. It is the responsibility of the province to take action but they are doing nothing about it. The city and JMPD does not have the mandate to do it. I have been there with JMPD and all we can do is ask them to move and that is all we can do. We cannot tell them to move because it is not city property, they are parking on provincial land.”
Van der Merwe has been sending endless requests to the province roads and transport department but nothing has come of it. He said the department took over the provincial roads from the city in November 2002.
“There are 250 intersections on provincial roads. The budgets have been allocated in July. We spoke to them, and not even after a month, we were told the budgets are finished; they don’t have money to do anything about this.”
No comment was received from the department’s Lesiba Mpye at the time we went for print despite following up.
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