Water running down damaged roads, broken electricity transformers, inadequate sanitation and a lack of title deeds were among the concerns raised by frustrated Ivory Park residents during a City of Johannesburg community engagement.

Residents from across Greater Ivory Park did not hold back when they got an opportunity to put their service delivery concerns directly to Executive Mayor Dada Morero and officials from various city entities at Ivory Park North Community Hall on October 1.

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The meeting was a follow-up to the September 18 engagement, which was postponed after the city said it wanted to return with the relevant entities to respond directly to residents’ complaints and address concerns affecting the greater Ivory Park area, rather than a single ward.

Residents from wards 77, 78, 79, 80, 92, 110, 111 and 133 raised concerns about electricity, streetlighting, roads, storm water systems, sanitation, water security and housing, with challenges facing informal settlements emerging as a major concern.

Ward 133 resident Teresa Ndlovu said Goniwe informal settlement residents had services but were still waiting for title deeds. “We have all the services but what our parents do not have are title deeds. That is the problem the Goniwe residents have. Among all the nine informal settlements, this one is different because they have all the services,” she said.

Ndlovu also raised concerns about electricity, stating that residents across Ivory Park knew of about 40 transformers that were not working, and asked for assistance with their replacement.

At the Mabena informal settlement, in Ward 133, resident Lucky Shabane said the community was struggling with sanitation and overcrowding.

“The problem we are having, at Mabena, is overcrowding. We have about 600 stands, and the people that did audits are like 400. Another thing is the settlement has no toilets. People use buckets and throw their things on the street,” he said.

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Ward 111 resident Sibusiso Mogashane used the meeting to raise broader concerns about youth development and local governance. He called for skills development centres in wards, the professionalisation of local government and fewer barriers to employment, particularly for people over 35. “We need skills development centres around our wards because education is the key for us to succeed,” said Mogashane.

For Ward 79 resident Elizabeth Mahumane, water was her biggest concern. Mahumane said she had reported water leaks for about two months without the problem being resolved, resulting in water flowing onto roads and contributing to damage.

“The only time we would not have leaks was when the water is turned off,” she said. “Our roads are damaged by these waters. Cars are being damaged because of these damaged roads.”

Morero acknowledged the concerns raised by residents and said the city had returned to the area because it had not planned the previous meeting properly. “We are here to solve the problems that residents face,” he said.

On streetlights, Morero said the city had started a programme to address streetlighting across the eight wards, including Ebony Park and Rabie Ridge. He said Eskom would also restore damaged transformers and that the city had agreed to meet with Eskom and the minister of electricity and energy to address the issue.

On roads, Morero said Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) had been due to start patching potholes and repairing frequently used roads, but rain had disrupted the work. He said the city had identified between four and six roads for resurfacing, subject to available funding, while gravel roads would be graded. “Just 1km of road costs between R10m and R18m,” Morero said, adding that the city would need about R3b to address all the road problems in Ivory Park.

The mayor also appealed to residents not to use storm water infrastructure as dumping sites. He said Johannesburg Water had started unblocking sewers and fixing leaking pipes, with teams expected to remain in the area for about three weeks to attend to service delivery problems. Water supply, however, remains one of the biggest challenges facing the area.

Morero said the President Park reservoir, which supplies Ivory Park, was under pressure because of illegal water connections and the rapid growth of the population.

He said water was being switched off from around 14:00 to allow the reservoir to recover and that the city was planning a new 80ML reservoir. “The design phase has been done; now the second part is to get a budget to build,” said Morero. He said the city was looking at securing funding in the 2027/28 budget, with construction potentially taking two to three years.

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Morero also urged residents to report and repair leaks, stating that the city loses about 40% of its water through leaks and that billions of rands were needed to repair the ageing water network.

On housing, he said the city was planning to upgrade nine informal settlements in Greater Ivory Park.

The upgrades would involve formalising stands and providing services such as toilets, water and electricity. However, Morero said overcrowding and undocumented residents were among the challenges affecting some settlements, and called on residents not to create or expand informal settlements.

He also said the city was working to address the illegal occupation of land near a filling station in Rabie Ridge, where a court order had been obtained.

Morero further committed to securing funding through the January budget adjustment to complete the Ivory Park multi-sports complex, which he said required between R18m and R20m. He said the new Ivory Park swimming pool was complete and that he would open it before November 4.

Johannesburg Water

• Water throttling was introduced around November last year, with supply generally closed at about 14:00 and reopened around 04:00 to allow the reservoir to recover.
• Johannesburg Water is planning a larger reservoir of 80ML at the same President Park site to help address the capacity problem, although no construction dates have been confirmed as the project is still under planning.
• Two additional jetting trucks have been dedicated to Ivory Park to assist the eight existing teams with sewer blockages.
• An emergency contractor has also been appointed to deal with damaged infrastructure, collapsed pipes and manholes requiring reconstruction.

Eskom

• Ward 33 has eight damaged transformers, with two replacement transformers ready for installation.
• Ward 77 has nine damaged transformers, with four replacements ready.
• Ward 79 has six damaged transformers, with two replacements ready.
• Ward 111 has four damaged transformers, with two replacements ready.
• Ward 92 has four damaged transformers, with two replacements ready.
• Ward 102 reported no damaged transformers.

City Power

• Eskom is responsible for electricity supply in Ivory Park, while City Power is responsible for streetlighting.
• Restoration of streetlights has started, although extensive vandalism is expected to delay work in some areas.
• Areas where Eskom has repaired transformers will be prioritised for streetlight restoration.
• Plans are in place for solar high-mast lights in four wards.
• In the longer term, solar-powered streetlights that can operate independently of the electricity network are planned.

Human settlements

• The City of Johannesburg has identified nine informal settlements in Greater Ivory Park for upgrading.
• Specialist studies and topographical surveys have been completed. Draft layouts were prepared and presented to the affected communities, who accepted them.
• Geotechnical, environmental screening and traffic impact studies have also been conducted.
• The municipality has obtained a court order to remove dwellers and demolish structures on the illegally occupied Rabie Ridge land.

Sport and recreation

• Kaalfontein Multipurpose Centre is among the facilities under its responsibility.
• Kopanong Sports Ground, which was previously left incomplete, is being reconstructed.
• Ivory Park Stadium has been vandalised and damaged and will require significant funding for rehabilitation.
• The new Ivory Park swimming pool is complete and is expected to open soon.

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