JG Strydom still a cause for concern
According to Brand, the repair on JG Strydom Road has been done three times by Rand Water and 'has failed three times'.
The Northsider has previously reported on the dire conditions road users on JG Strydom Road have had to face after the completion of the F46 pipeline in early 2020.
Recently the ever-present potholes, dips, and bumps along JG Strydom were once again brought to the Northsider‘s attention by Ward Councillor David Brand. After a walkabout where Brand pointed out the various deformities along the road, the Northsider asked various roleplayers in the area for feedback on any possible remedial work by either Rand Water or the Johannesburg Roads Agency.
“As a councillor, I can’t spend money. I don’t have any authority, but I went into site meetings and I said ‘guys, this is a mess. Are you going to fix this?’,” explained Brand, “Okay, now who looks after the roads? It’s JRA. They’re the custodian of the roads. We listened to every excuse there is for the repair of potholes. What are those excuses? They are that they’re having technical problems at the asphalt plant. The asphalt plant is owned by the City.
“So they’ve been having problems with it. They purchase aggregate, which is the stone that goes into the manufacturing of tar, and they say they have supply chain problems and that they have had a tender awarded for the aggregate but it was irregularly awarded. Is it fraud? I don’t know what it is. But it falls into those categories. That’s where your mind goes. They did an audit and they’re complaining about the budget because they don’t have money.”
According to Brand, the repair on JG Strydom Road has been done three times by Rand Water and ‘has failed three times’.
“Now it’s not going to cost JRA any work, or any money. They have failed to force Rand Water to honour the original agreement that they had. They said yes, you can dig here. You can put it in a pipe but you have to repair the road afterward; it hasn’t been repaid. I’ve had meetings with JRA I’ve written to JRA I speak to the people locally. I send them WhatsApps, I send them reminders. I have meetings with them. And here we are two and a half years later I’m helpless in getting anything done,” explained Brand.
In response to the Northsider’s inquiries, Bertha Peters-Scheepers stated, “In regards to JG Strydom Road before Haak-en-Steek Road, the water seepages onto the road is as a result of water discharging from private property. This has caused subsiding and deterioration of the road surface because water is being illegally discharged onto JRA property [the road] causing road surface deterioration, the JRA will be serving a formal notice of bylaw infringement to the property owner/ resident and they will have seven days within which to comply.”
She added, “Once the illegal discharging has been resolved with the owner, the JRA will carry out the necessary road repairs on the affected sections between JG Strydom and Haak-en-Steek Roads. In the meantime, our teams have cleared debris and sand along the road to allow water to flow into the stormwater inlet.”
“For 9th Avenue and JG Strydom Road, the JRA carried out site inspections on February 17. City Power’s contractor has installed cables and subsequently dug up a portion of the road as part of their work, which has since been made safe for motorists and pedestrians to travel on that road. The trench is in keeping with the JRA Wayleave conditions,” she concluded.
Kenny Kunene, a member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for Transport, posted on his social media accounts that he and the contractors, who completed previous work on the road, were on the scene where a preventable accident took place on February 18. While Maziya Company has completed repairs on a section of JG Strydom Road, it does not take away from the urgency for remedial work to the rest of the road.
READ MORE: MVA on JG Strydom injures one
The Northsider contacted Makenosi Maroo, Spokesperson for Rand Water, in regards to the many faults along the road as well as the dire state in which they left the park on the corner of JG Strydom and Bergkaree Avenue on Tuesday, February 21.
ALSO READ: Lumps on JG Strydom Road cause unexpecting motorists to bounce awkwardly through traffic
At the time of going to print no response from Rand Water has been received. Once a response has been received, an update will be issued.
READ MORE: Part of JG Strydom officially re-opened
