Officials to be held accountable

For the past five years Helderkruin residents have been fed one empty promise after another pertaining to the poor condition of roads in the area. Now they are fed-up.

Dr Alf Levin, on behalf of all motorists making use of these roads, recently highlighted the numerous examples of shoddy repairs specifically in Impala Avenue.

He did this by responding to a DA campaign poster that was left on a pole on Impala Avenue.

“When the DA needed our votes their posters said ‘The DA gets things done’. And I just thought, well, if they want to make these statements, they should live up to them. That’s why I put up a poster right on top of their that says ‘Show us you can fix Impala Road’,” Alf said.

Even though he commended the Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) for patching up the potholes from time to time, he claimed that these were merely temporary solutions. Each time it rains, the pothole reappear and become even larger.

“In 2017 I sent an email to a Mayoral Committee member for the first time regarding this road and a few others. And I remember receiving an email that said it was on their budget for the following year. That year came and went – and another, and another. I have sent this to both ANC and DA officials over the years, but to no avail,” Alf said.

“The whole community, for that matter, has contacted many officials, including the previous ward councillor countless times, but our pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears. A section of the road needs to be resurfaced completely. The road is covered in patches where potholes have been filled over the years, and that only says one thing – it’s not sufficient.”

Having been a Helderkruin resident for the past 37 years, Alf said he uses this road every day and gets frustrated each time he has to swerve to dodge the many potholes.

“It’s time we as a community do something. Why do we need to pay our taxes if the funds aren’t being used appropriately? If the municipality isn’t going to fix it, we don’t mind doing it from our own pockets. We’re just not going to pay our taxes. It’s as simple as that because it can’t go on like this,” he said.

Ward 85 councillor Zoné Niemand said she was aware of the condition of the roads and had reported the issue to JRA numerous times. She subsequently assured Alf that she would try her best to put as much pressure on JRA as possible to have the roads attended to.

“I plan on meeting with the head of JRA for Region C during which I want to prioritise Impala Avenue,” she concluded.

The JRA was contacted for comment and the Record is awaiting their feedback.