Councillor says Ward 115 infrastructure projects caught in city funding squeeze
Councillor says unpaid contractors, procurement delays, and limited capital spending are leaving residents with repairs instead of long-term solutions.
Ward 115 councillor Mark van der Merwe says financial pressures facing the City of Johannesburg are increasingly being felt on the ground, with infrastructure projects delayed, maintenance backlogs growing, and residents left waiting for basic services.
Van der Merwe’s concerns come amid a series of service-delivery problems in the ward, some of which have been ongoing for months or even years. He says the financial pressure is affecting multiple city entities, rather than being confined to a single department. “Johannesburg Water (JW), at times, is experiencing delays in repair work due to slow procurement of materials. They are also plagued by a lack of access to tractor-loader-backhoes (TLBs), which they now have to outsource. Due to budget constraints, they are not even outsourcing repairs to contractors who, at times, are hand digging to do repairs.”
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He also claims several major water projects have stalled because contractors have not been paid for months. These include the rising main project in Craigavon and pipe replacement projects in Johannesburg North and Jukskeipark. Van der Merwe said the impact extends to labourers and small businesses subcontracted by the main contractors. “City Power is struggling with vandalism and the cost of replacing mini-substations that are vandalised, at a cost in excess of R800 000 each. We currently have a situation in Ward 115 where some residents are being supplied power by a mobile generator until power can be restored, and even then some residents are still off after 10 days”
Other projects and infrastructure concerns he highlighted include repairs to Platina Bridge, storm water problems on Juweel and Randa roads, Randa Road resurfacing, streetlights, potholes and ageing water, and power and road infrastructure. Van der Merwe said the city’s entities had raised concerns about budget limitations during a recent councillor forum, and called on councillors to assist in securing funding. He believes the lack of capital expenditure has resulted in a cycle of reactive maintenance, rather than the replacement of ageing infrastructure.
Van der Merwe also criticised the city’s budget process, as municipal budgets are allocated at city level rather than per ward, meaning Ward 115 does not have a standalone infrastructure budget. On July 8, Executive Mayor Dada Morero was defending the city’s finances, but acknowledged that cash-flow problems had delayed payments to contractors.
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In response to the claims Nombuso Shabalala, Johannesburg Water spokesperson, said: “Payment delays by Johannesburg Water might lead to further suspension of works, and this can lead to further delays. The projects have experienced delays due to small, micro, and medium-sized enterprises-related grievances during the early stages of construction, as well as periods of suspension of the works.”
City Power’s Isaac Mangena, general manager for the department of public relations and communication, added: “The recent power outages experienced in Ward 115, including Jukskei Park, are not due to budget constraints. The ward has, however, been affected by repeated incidents of infrastructure vandalism. Last week, two City Power transformers were vandalised in Saffier Street and Platina Street, respectively, in Jukskei Park.”
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