The City of Johannesburg MMC for Transport Councillor Nonhlanhla Makhuba is adamant that constant communication between the City’s council and residents will improve the conditions of Zandspruit informal settlement.
She was talking during the Johannesburg Roads Agency’s clean-up campaign in the settlement as part of the City’s transport month initiative on 14 October.
The City’s entity graded gravel roads, repaired and cleaned storm water inlets, painted speed humps and road markings, patched potholes and erected street signage.
The agency partnered with Pikitup, Joburg Water, City Parks, Social Services, Housing, City’s Transport Department and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department to roll up their sleeves to join in the clean-up initiative.
The campaign was in line with the City’s promise of being responsive, caring and bringing dignity back to the residents in the informal settlement.
Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba, Makhuba and roads agency members led the campaign under the theme, Safe Streets and Transport for all.
Makhuba emphasised that they will engage residents through the local Ward 114 councillor, Victor Mafinya. “Constant communication with the residents is the only way that will assist us to achieve our goal,” she said. She stated that by providing quality roads and related infrastructure, communities such as Zandspruit will benefit from improved road safety and accessibility.
She said, during Transport Month, her focus will be on road safety, community education and awareness for the protection of road infrastructure, which is often affected by vandalism, theft and abuse, to the detriment of all road users. “We will continue to come back and address all these challenges.
“We have some of the roads where even the graders cannot go inside because of the state of the informal settlement.”
She promised that she would go back to the drawing board and sit down with the roads agency to solve these challenges.
