Ward 134 councillor Devon Steenkamp has slammed the high visibility operation recently held in his ward, saying that agreed work was not carried out as planned.

After a detailed walkabout was conducted on January 22 to document defects street by street, various City of Johannesburg entities conducted an operation to attend to the issues. Specific hotspot areas were identified where service delivery had visibly deteriorated, from potholes and faded road markings to streetlight faults, illegal signage, overgrown verges, and unresolved reinstatements.

Read more: Ward 134 benefits from high-visibility operation

The entities involved include Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA), City Power, City Parks, Pikitup, JMPD, environmental health, and Johannesburg Water.

Although the entities were visible in the streets, Steenkamp feels that not much was done. He explained that the walkabout identified 65 priority service delivery items in the Randpark Ridge and Boskruin areas of Ward 134. These items were selected because they required attention. However, during the high impact service delivery operation, only 16 of those items were attended to, which equates to approximately 24.6% completion. “This indicates that service delivery is not being treated with the seriousness it requires. When departments fail to attend, fail to complete agreed work, and fail to report back, it reflects a broader breakdown in accountability within the city.”

Steenkamp said that JRA did not attend the kick-off of the high impact operation. “No pothole repairs were carried out on CR Swart Drive, Kelly Road, Ysterhout Drive, President Fouché Drive, or any other roads. The reinstatement on Haakdoring Avenue was identified as a priority. A small pothole near the reinstatement was repaired, but the reinstatement itself was not addressed.”

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He further stated that the fallen traffic signal and dislodged kerb inlet slabs at the corner of Ysterhout Drive and Kelly Road were not attended to, and none of the road markings were repainted on any of the roads listed in the operation plan.

City Power inspected several streetlights that were operating during the day. Some lights were switched off, and others remained non-functional at night. Steenkamp confirmed that no streetlights were repaired to restore night-time lighting. “JMPD attended a known hotspot at President Fouché Drive and Ysterhout Drive relating to taxis, littering, and suspected illegal advertising. A list of suspected illegal signage was provided. No written report or confirmation of enforcement action has been submitted to my office.”

He added that these failures point to weak management. “Departments take their cue from the political leadership of the city. When the leaders are not actively enforcing delivery standards, officials do not feel compelled to meet them.

“I will be writing to the Region C director and the integrated service delivery manager to demand written explanations for the non-delivery of identified tasks, and to call for an accountability walkabout, where officials must explain outstanding work on site and provide timeframes for completion.”

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