Potholes have become a persistent headache for businesses and workers at Midrand Industrial Park, particularly along Mastiff Road.
Poor road service delivery continues to plague the area more than a decade after service delivery concerns were first raised.
According to Shaun Wilson, the park’s manager, Mastiff Road was due to be resurfaced about seven years ago, but resurfacing never took place due to Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) budget constraints.
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“Local government is definitely not doing enough to address road maintenance. [Milpark Industrial Park] companies pay a fortune for rates and taxes, and nothing gets fixed here in the park. The infrastructure is falling apart.”
The ongoing neglect has forced two park maintenance workers, whose primary duties are general upkeep, to also take on the task of patching potholes themselves. Wilson claims that repeated attempts to get JRA to address the issue have yielded no results.
He said he was promised by JRA Region A depot manager Mamma Mashishi that potholes at the park would be attended to in the third week of February, but the team never arrived.
Furthermore, Wilson explained that Mashishi informed him that MMC for Transport Kenny Kunene had launched Operation Restore in Ivory Park, and that Mastiff Road would be addressed in mid-March.
This is not the first time Wilson has voiced his frustrations. Last year, he also accused JRA of dragging its feet on road repairs in the park. “Municipality and JRA come here in their fancy cars and high heels and have walkabout meetings and promise to sort things out, but it never materialises.
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“We have had meeting after meeting and email after email. We have been promised that all will get fixed, but when I phone them or send them messages and emails, they hardly reply. I can see they read the message, and I can see them online, but it falls on deaf ears. They would rather look at my WhatsApp status.”
The impact on workers and visitors is significant. Wilson said potholes are causing absolute havoc, damaging vehicles and costing people substantial amounts in repairs.
“We are tired and frustrated with empty promises. It’s time to hold government departments accountable. We, as taxpayers, pay their salaries. If they can’t do the job, they must be fired.”
Midrand Reporter contacted JRA for comment on March 5. Communication officer Kelebogile Mafa said the agency would follow up and revert as soon as possible.
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