MMC for Transport and City of Johannesburg officials hold site inspection of Kilburn Street bridge
Political rivals claiming lion's share of the praise accuse each other of underhanded tactics.
The end of the beginning is drawing nearer for the Kilburn Steet sinkhole debacle.
MMC for Transport, Funzela Ngobeni, was accompanied by officials from the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and ward governance for a site inspection of the Kilburn Street bridge on September 21.
For nearly three years, the left-hand lane of Kilburn Street between Celeste Crescent and Kliprand Street has been marked by a gaping hole and a sagging road surface.
The sinkhole has been a bone of contention for residents, JRA and ward governance since the road was partially washed away by a flash flood in February 2020. JRA came bearing positive news as they informed the gathering that work is guaranteed to begin before the end of the current financial year. Budget has been allocated following the previous Intergrated Development Plan (IDP) meeting and the next steps would be to have a consultant finalise the design and a contractor appointed to carry out the work.
JRA Region C Regional Director, Lawrence Maseko, stated at the site inspection that the bridge is ranked in the top 10 of bridges under JRA’s jurisdiction that require urgent attention. Receiving the green light for the project required multi-entity input from, among others, Johannesburg Water and Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo. Engineering studies, environmental reports and logistical analysis have all been concluded, with a start date on the immediate horizon.
Party politics take centre stage in middle of the road
The multi-party coalition that has been promoting ‘the golden restart’ extends to the parties working agreement in the Johannesburg City Council but tensions between the parties at ward level are high. The Democratic Alliance has had a monopoly on Ward 84 for several successive terms but ActionSA has several vocal members from the ward as well as adjacent wards with many in influential positions, including MMC Ngobeni.
DA ward governance has been tracking the sinkhole since it first formed but concerned residents, who united under the ActionSA banner prior to the 2021 municipal election have adopted the hole as a key issue within the ward that they wish to solve. Both parties have documented correspondence with JRA and both have contributed to keeping residents updated, resulting in neither wanting to relinquish their claim to the project’s successful progression.
Stuck between a barrier and a sinkhole, the opposing party members engaged in a heated yet civil clash at the site inspection. The DA accused ActionSA of attempting to have the site visit to themselves while ActionSA members feel the DA representatives have not acted with any urgency.
“’The ward councillor was deliberately omitted from the correspondence to be here this morning,” stated DA PR councillor, Susan Stewart, summing up the DA’s belief that ActionSA has been attempting to sideline the ward’s elected official.
MMC Ngobeni was adamant there was no ulterior motive, asserting he was fulfilling his own mandate.
“If there is anything I have breached in terms of protocol there are ethics committees where we are being held accountable. We can differ about our interpretation of our rules but this is not the place to do it,” said the MMC, stressing his visit was permissible under his oversight role and he did not feel it was obligatory to invite ward governance.
Ward 84 councillor Johannes Goosen, stated after the meeting, “I was democratically elected in the ward. I raised up my hand and took a solemn oath to serve these residents and by doing that there is an expectation of me to keep my residents updated.
“I can’t keep residents updated if I’m not aware of what the City is doing in my ward. It might not come down to protocol but it comes down to common decency and courtesy when it comes to involving people who were given a mandate to lead. I can’t effectively lead if I am kept out of the information loop.”
DA plays wildcard Gill Stewart to press MMC Ngobeni on historic complaint
In addition to the accusations of grandstanding, MMC Ngobeni was posed questions by a woman who has been fighting a never-ending battle with Metrobus. Gill Stewart was injured while exiting a Metrobus in 2015 and still walks on crutches as a result. The elderly Stewart accused MMC Ngobeni of refusing to assist her in her fight to have Metrobus staff and officials held accountable for alleged negligence.
MMC Ngobeni responded by saying Stewart’s matter with Metrobus had been resolved but the irate senior citizen interrupted his response by claiming it had been insufficiently handled.
“Metrobus say they did everything they could. Metrobus say they assisted me to claim from RAF. They did not give me driver details, vehicle details or an incident report. Don’t tell me the matter was resolved,” retorted the tenacious resident. The MMC gave his attention to Stewart following the meeting but it was unclear if the two had found common ground.
United in well-meaning intention but divided by method, the opposing forces in blue and green risk losing sight of the hazard at their feet.
Commuters, businesses, a school and the many residents Kilburn Street services will have a significant disruption to their lives once the repair project begins. When the heavy machinery rolls in, some may find it takes more than sand, stone and tar to build a bridge.
