Every effort was supposed to be made to preserve their plants
The relevant by-law states, "any constructed footway must be reinstated with the same surfacing materials that existed originally".
The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has clarified the protocols regarding reinstatements of driveways, footpaths and verges outside the homes of residents.
This after a Bloubosrand couple complained about their driveway being destroyed by City Power after they spent countless hours and a small fortune beautifying it. All that is left of Diana and Reinhard Bergmann’s cacti, pebbles, concrete and other décor is a huge trench running through the ground and piles of concrete and debris left behind from early July.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said a team was dispatched to restore the driveway on August 4, but after nothing had been done for a week, this publication asked him again and he said they did not know the address of the residents. The address was again provided to City Power and time will tell if the residents will ever have their driveway restored.
In the meantime, JRA spokesperson Mosa Makhalima said the City of Johannesburg’s code of practice for work and road reserve – published as City of Joburg Public Road and Miscellaneous by-law 2004 in the Gauteng Provincial Gazette 179 on 21 May 2004 – states that ‘any constructed footway must be reinstated with the same surfacing materials that existed originally (for example concrete blocks, slabs). Material may be reused if undamaged, or else replaced with similar material’.
The by-law also says if an unconstructed verge has been planted with garden vegetation other than lawn, ‘the owner of the adjacent property must be consulted before excavation, to obtain instructions on what to do with the plants that are affected. Every effort must be made to preserve all plants’.
The Bergmanns said they were never notified prior to the destruction of their driveway. Their cacti were removed without any forewarning.
Makhalima encouraged the residents to liaise with City Power to resolve this issue. For their part, the residents have reference numbers going back over a month but have received no feedback from City Power directly.
Related Article:
Bloubosrand couple see their driveway destroyed by City Power
