Retail Crossing greenbelt water flow affected by overgrown reeds and blocked drains
A Strubens Valley resident has raised concerns over stagnant water and blocked infrastructure near a local shopping centre.
Maintenance of a section of the Strubens Valley greenbelt near Retail Crossing and Christiaan de Wet Road is planned for later this year, following concerns about overgrown vegetation and a blocked stormwater channel in the area.
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) confirmed that the area was last maintained in 2025 and is scheduled for its next maintenance during the second quarter of the 2026/ 27 financial year, between October and December.
According to the JCPZ senior manager for wetlands, Tshepang Makganye, the planned work will include reed control. The condition of the area was raised by resident Armand van der Merwe, who has been inspecting the river and surrounding infrastructure.
During one of his inspections, Van der Merwe said he found a stormwater outlet near Retail Crossing that was filled with rubble and old, stagnant water, which her then removed. He said the outlet was about 1.5m deep and largely hidden by vegetation.
He said the condition of the stormwater infrastructure could affect how water moves through the greenbelt. Van der Merwe explained that where water enters the stormwater system, the lack of a properly maintained channel can result in water becoming trapped around the outlet and among the vegetation.
“If sewage enters the stormwater channel, it gets to the exit and, depending on the amount, either remains there or tries to flow down the unmaintained channel and gets stuck in the plants,” he said.
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Makganye confirmed in a media response to the Roodepoort Northsider that JCPZ is responsible for maintaining the section of greenbelt and river area in question and is aware of the overgrown reeds and vegetation.
Makganye also said that the organisation had previously inspected the site with the Environment and Infrastructure Services Department. The inspection took place last year, with a blocked stormwater channel identified as the biggest challenge.
“The biggest challenge then was a blocked stormwater channel which caused the water to be diverted,” Makganye said.
According to Makganye, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) was engaged regarding maintenance of the blocked stormwater infrastructure. He said follow-up with JRA still needed to be done.
Since the trenches previously dug as pathways to allow water to flow through in the greenbelt are either non-existent or completely covered by vegetation, resulting in water pooling and JRA infrastructure being either blocked or covered by reeds, Makganye said JRA would be better suited to comment on the designated channels or pathways intended to allow water to flow through the area because the agency has infrastructure there.
JRA approached for comment
The Northsider sent a media enquiry to JRA on August 28 at 13:35 regarding the blocked stormwater infrastructure near Retail Crossing and Christiaan de Wet Road with a deadline of September 4 at 09:00.
JRA media officer Kelebogile Mafa acknowledged receipt of the enquiry and said the matter would be followed up with the regional team for further updates. At the time of publication, no further response had been received from JRA, and a follow-up had been made with Mafa.
