Gibson Drive sinks from neglect
A road hazard, first created in February 2024, remains untouched, while residents wade through stagnant water and unanswered pleas to the city.
A growing road hazard and unchecked water leak on Gibson Drive West, at the corner of Fife Street, in Buccleuch, has become a major concern for residents, who say their repeated appeals for help have been ignored.
According to Garry Clarke, a community member, the issue stems from a road disturbance created by Johannesburg Water (JW) as far back as February 2024.
Despite several meetings involving both the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and JW, the damaged road has not been restored, leaving residents feeling sidelined and unheard.
Clarke said: “This area is used daily by what are considered second-class residents, the people who live at the bottom of Gibson Drive West. Because it is not visible to the general public, it feels like our concerns don’t matter.”
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He went on to add that their ward councillor, Lori Coogan, has reportedly submitted numerous formal requests to the relevant city departments, but so far, no action has been taken.
Clarke explained that adding to this frustration is a continuously leaking water valve nearby, which has been gushing clean water for months. “The water flows unchecked into the Jukskei River, turning parts of the walkway into an impassable, muddy pond.”
He elaborated that this is not just about inconvenience anymore; it is about public health and safety. “We have standing water attracting mosquitoes, in a city where we should be doing everything to prevent waterborne disease outbreaks.”
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He said that they are especially bitter, considering the fanfare surrounding the recent R56 million Jukskei River rehabilitation project. “They proudly opened a rehabilitation site, but left a swamp next door. You’d think taking two or three dump loads of soil to fill the area would be easy, if they cared.”
Joburg Water’s spokesperson, Nombuso Shabalala, responded to the five questions we sent and stated, “The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) can respond as Joburg Water has already escalated the repair work needed to the JRA. The wayleave was created and sent to the JRA on 12/05/2024.”
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Essentially, for all five questions we posed to Joburg Water, they indicated that the JRA can respond.
At the time of publication, Johannesburg Roads Agency had not responded to our requests for comment.
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