Bryanston bridge clean-up needs long-term care, warns councillor

A clean-up operation may have cleared the rubbish from the troubled Bryanston pedestrian bridge, but Ward 102 councillor Bea Campbell-Cloete believes keeping it that way will take more than a once-off intervention.

Just over a week after the City of Johannesburg removed makeshift structures, discarded belongings and waste from the walkway at the corner of Winnie Mandela Drive and Grosvenor Road, local billboard media company Kena Outdoor pledged to help maintain the site.

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The business’s commitment marks the next chapter in efforts to address safety concerns at the walkway, where local councillors and residents have reported smash-and-grab incidents and pedestrians being robbed at gunpoint.

During a follow-up site visit with the Sandton Chronicle on October 23, Campbell-Cloete met Kena Outdoor head of development and infrastructure Daniel Loti to discuss how the company could help prevent the area from deteriorating.

The business has offered cleaning assistance and temporary security support, with regular maintenance being considered to keep vegetation under control and improve visibility around the bridge.

The latest development follows an oversight visit by Campbell-Cloete and Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackelford on October 13, when they raised concerns about the condition of the walkway and reported criminal activity in the area.

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Municipal teams conducted the clean-up on October 15, removing waste and makeshift structures in an effort to restore the public space. However, Campbell-Cloete said the work could not stop with the removal of rubbish. Overgrown vegetation around the bridge also needed attention to improve visibility and reduce concealed spaces where criminals could hide.

Loti said Kena Outdoor was willing to contribute to ongoing maintenance, with a team expected to clean the site and potentially return monthly. “By cleaning and providing temporary security, it provides us visibility and helps keep the area clean and nice for our clients,” he said.

“We are not just a company that grabs money out of the community. We also give back to the community to show that we care about the people who stay in this area.”

He said the company hoped its contribution would help maintain a cleaner environment and give the community greater confidence when using the walkway.

Campbell-Cloete welcomed the business’s involvement, saying cooperation between the municipality, businesses and residents was essential to achieving lasting improvements.

“If we are going to clean up areas like this, then we need a whole-of-society approach, whether it is the community coming on board, business coming on board, and then, of course, the politicians coming on board,” she said. “Coming together and making sure that we can alleviate these problems together, then we all win.”

The Sandton Community Policing Forum (CPF) and Sandton SAPS have also been working to address reported crime along Winnie Mandela Drive, with the CPF encouraging victims to open police cases and report incidents to help identify crime patterns and support investigations.

Criminal activity, overgrown bushes, and safety concerns along Winnie Mandela Drive prompt ongoing maintenance support.

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