Johannesburg Roads Agency finally repairs Paulshof road after year-long wait

Calls and emails did not get the job done, so Paulshof residents threw a novelty birthday party to get a long-standing trench fixed.

8 hours ago

Ditiro Masuku 1 minute read

Former Ward 93 councillor Vino Reddy celebrates the long-awaited repair of Pongola Street. Photo: Ditiro Masuku

Former Ward 93 councillor Vino Reddy is celebrating after the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) finally completed a long-awaited repair on Pongola Street in Paulshof.

Reddy and residents, including Fiona Young — who has also raised concerns about the damaged section of the road — marked the occasion on October 28.

The celebration comes after a year of frustration, with repeated calls, emails and follow-ups failing to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

Novelty party prompts action

After trying various avenues to get the outstanding work addressed, Reddy resorted to a novelty birthday celebration to draw attention to the problem.

It worked, as the JRA confirmed that the road has finally been fixed.

The repair involved the reinstatement of a trench left following Johannesburg Water work, which had affected residents’ daily use of Pongola Street.

“I am happy that the Johannesburg Water trench has finally been repaired by the roads agency. It’s really disappointing that it took a year to do, especially when motivated by a novelty celebration,” he said.

Residents call for faster reinstatements

The repaired road has brought relief to residents who can now use it as part of their daily commute without having to contend with the damaged section.

Reddy said residents shared his concerns about the lengthy wait and believed the JRA needed to improve how it managed outstanding reinstatement work.

Also read: JRA admits rubble is theirs contractor stored

“They recommend JRA better manages its reinstatements, giving priority to urgent or long outstanding work,” he said.

He acknowledged the challenges facing city entities but said these should not mean residents have to wait so long for essential work to be completed.

Reddy also thanked residents for their patience and understanding throughout the past year.

For the Paulshof community, the repair is a welcome birthday present, even if it arrived a year later than expected.

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