“Two steps forward, one step back,” is how Ward 74 councillor Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku described the issue of the sunken tar on North Road in Melrose on March 10.
A reporter and Kayser-Echeozonjoku visited the sunken road a few days after the councillor said she was alerted by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and Johannesburg Water (JW) that the two entities were finally working together to repair the road.
Read more: Frere Road adds to growing number of excavations in the city
“It’s very frustrating that JRA and JW visited the site once since I spoke to them in the previous week, and the two entities said they have to work together to resolve the state of the road.
It cannot be correct that we see JRA painting lanes in nearby roads ahead of an event and JW trucks driving around, but they cannot work together to fix this, which was reported last December already.”
The councillor noted that she would escalate the matter with the city manager because it was unacceptable that the entities were not fixing it.
Also read: Melrose North’s sunken road reinstatement to take 3 weeks
JW spokesperson, Nombuso Shabalala, on March 6, said, “On March 3, a Johannesburg Water team was dispatched to investigate whether there was a burst pipe on site. No burst pipe was found, and the team proceeded to backfill the sinkhole.”
@caxtonjoburgnorth Ward 74 councillor Belinda Kayser- Echeozonjoku raises her frustrations about the slow repairs of North Road’s sunken state. Video: Asanda Matlhare #Localnews #caxtonlocalmedia #johannesburg #Communitynews #SA #Servicedelivery #2026 #newsupdate ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North
Shabalala added that the team visited the site again on March 4, where they met with JRA and further excavated additional areas to confirm whether there were any leaks and no burst pipes were found.
The publication has reached out to JRA for a response on when the repairs will begin and will update the article accordingly.
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