Ward 70 shutdown: Road closures for Florida, Fleurhof tomorrow

Residents of Fleurhof and Florida’s Ward 70 announced a two-day total shutdown set for Thursday and Friday, 18 and 19 May, citing a plethora of issues such as no water or electrical supply, and lack of service delivery.

The shutdown follows after local government officials turned a blind eye to long-standing, unresolved issues that have driven the community to its breaking point.

Ward 70 shutdown

Mounting frustrations over inadequate infrastructure, illegal mining and lack of resources have forced community members to kickstart the ‘Power For Ward 70’ campaign.

Residents of these communities are making a plea for support, hoping to raise the volume on their demands and secure a brighter future.

Their key demands are as follows:

• The establishment of educational and healthcare facilities to cater to the needs of the community, particularly children.
• The urgent construction of a local police station and improvements to the existing Florida Police Station to enhance safety and crime prevention.
• The development of a sports center and improvements to existing facilities for community engagement and wellness.
• The creation of parks, leisure facilities, and a swimming pool in Fleurhof for the benefit of all residents.
• Immediate redress of service delivery issues such as raw sewage, poor service quality, bridge repairs, fair water billing practices, the demolition of unsafe structures, and the removal of illegal miners.

The organisers also demand that all load shedding be stopped “until [the] backlog on the community is resolved by City Power and Joburg Water”.

‘Power for Ward 70’ campaign

The organisers – Selby Leshaba and Lori Richards – said the campaign was sparked by community members who found themselves without electricity for several days at a time back in April.

Apart from the community’s water and power troubles, the residents are deeply worried about the illegal mining activities in the area.

The lack of essential facilities in Fleurhof, such as a school, clinic or police station, has forced children to trek to Florida and Soweto for education.

The Florida police station is currently operating at full capacity, a fact that led community members to organise a similar shutdown in April.

Shut down road closures

A media briefing will be held at 2pm today (Wednesday, 17 May) at the corner of Helpmekaar and Main Reef road in Fleurhof.

Following this, community members will take to the streets on Thursday and Friday.

The following roads will be closed during the shutdown:

• Albertina Sisulu Street, from West Lake Rd and Main Reef Road at the lake to Hendrik Potgieter Street.
• Goldman Street from Christiaan De Wet Road to Hendrik Potgieter Road.
• The Donovan Macdonald intersection.
• N1 Maraisburg Road, both on and off-ramps.