As residents prepare to celebrate Christmas and welcome the new year, Ward councillor Mark Van der Merwe shared his festive wishes with the community and reflected on the major infrastructure developments completed in the ward during 2025.

According to the councillor, the largest focus this year was on sewer infrastructure. “Major projects in the ward this year have been related to the sewer infrastructure. The main project has been the replacement of the rising main sewer line that flows from behind the Buzz Shopping Centre across the tributary of the Klein Jukskei, up Willow Avenue to the circle at Polar and Campbell, then down Inchanga in Craigavon,” he said.

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Following the heavy floods earlier this year, additional emergency work was required. “There has also been a project replacing sewer lines that cross the Klein Jukskei that were damaged in the floods of February this year, and finally, the replacement of parts of the sewer infrastructure in Cedar Lakes that was causing spillage into the lakes of the estate.”

Electricity infrastructure also saw significant investment. “Over and above that, we have managed to get Eskom to invest in the replacement of several feeds and older mini substations (MSS) in the Craigavon area to reduce the all too familiar outages that we were experiencing in that area,” Van der Merwe explained.
He added, “City Power also replaced several MSSs in the ward and secured the majority of MSSs to prevent vandalism by welding lids and securing doors with tamper-proof enclosures.”

Road and stormwater repairs were also prioritised. “JRA also has several blitzes in the ward where over 170 potholes have been repaired so far this year, and has done work on the stormwater infrastructure, and to prevent the all too familiar flooding and sidewalk wash away we were experiencing in that area.”

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Looking ahead to 2026, the councillor confirmed that major projects are already in the pipeline. “The second phase of the rising main sewer project will start in January 2026 with the extension of the rising main from the lower end of Inchanga, across the Klein Jukskei and onto the Zandspruit pump station.

“We are also hoping that the long-awaited pipe replacement will be done by Joburg Water in the upper parts of Craigavon, and finally the phases 3,4, and 5 of the Talavera Pipeline that will go via the ward to Stein City.”

On service delivery, Van der Merwe said, “We have had a great response from City Power, especially their streetlight teams. Joburg Water has had logistical issues with the move of their depot, but we believe they will soon be over that. Eskom has been really exceptional with their response, considering the enormous area they cover from the Eskom Fourways CNC, so a special thanks must go out to Helga and her teams.”

Sharing his ongoing vision, he said, “To leave the ward in a better place than when I found it,” adding that he will continue to rely on residents to submit IDPs for projects, including Platina bridge repairs, stormwater upgrades, sidewalks, park maintenance, road repairs, and improved health and social services around Kya Sands.

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