The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has confirmed that a backlog of road reinstatement work is delaying the resurfacing of a section of Mulbarton Drive at the intersection with Winnie Mandela Drive.
The agency said the site had been assessed, but the outstanding asphalt reinstatement remained affected by a wider backlog.

“We are currently dealing with a backlog of reinstatements and any related asphalt works,” said JRA acting regional operations head of department Mpho Maruping.

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The damaged section is at the entrance to the Leaping Frog Shopping Centre and was left without tar following repairs to a water burst. Maruping said there were currently no resource, material, contractor, or capacity constraints affecting the work at the site, adding that internal teams would carry out the reinstatement.

However, the agency confirmed that the backlog was affecting turnaround times for road reinstatement requests. Ward 94 councillor David Foley previously raised concerns about the unfinished road surface, saying repairing the water burst was only part of the work required to restore the road.

The affected area covers a significant section of the busy route, including a turning lane and a straight lane. Foley said the issue highlighted broader concerns about the delays residents experienced when roads were left unreinstated after municipal infrastructure repairs.

He added that depot managers and Johannesburg Water management were aware of the matter and were working towards resolving it, while calling for local depots to be adequately resourced.
Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala previously confirmed that a work order had been issued for the site.

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She explained that once Johannesburg Water repaired a burst pipe, the area was backfilled. Where tar reinstatement was required, the entity created a work order for JRA to complete the road surface repairs.

The latest response from JRA confirmed that the reinstatement remains outstanding, with the agency’s existing backlog contributing to the delay. The agency did not provide a specific completion date for the work.

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