Ward councillors are doing all they can to resolve potholes and reinstatement issues facing the community.
Ward councillors across the City of Johannesburg have been trying their level best to find solutions for the dire state of roads in their wards. Ward 98 Councillor Beverley Weweje is among those councillors who have hit a brick wall in addressing the issue. She said that regardless of her efforts, the City hasn’t been able to assist.
Weweje explained, “I have spent countless hours logging calls, engaging with mayoral committee members, engaging officials at on-site visits and have asked the assistance of media houses to highlight the plight of my residents.”
She added that the City has cited a lack of reference numbers, resources and budget for the service delivery failures. “We often hear the phrase, ‘The war on potholes’, echoing from the current administration. Unfortunately, it appears they are losing this war due to a lack of coherent and clear direction on the way forward. The maintenance and protection of City assets (roads) should not be a war or a struggle, it should be a basic standard to the equivalent of a world-class city.”
Weweje, who is the political authority for areas including Fairland, Cresta, Windsor East, Windsor West, Windsor Glen and other surrounding suburbs, has been referring existing and new pothole and reinstatement complaints to the necessary departments in the City. Some of the worst roads in her ward which have received the most complaints are Fairland’s Wilson and Johannes streets, Cresta’s Gillard Drive and Minerva Avenue and Alexander and Beatrice streets and Princess Avenue across the Windsor neighbourhoods.
Randpark Ridge’s Seder Road and Randpark’s Cherry Drive, Columbine Street and Arend Avenue and many other roads are in desperate need of attention from the Johannesburg Roads Agency.
Weweje said, “I have raised numerous concerns at the state of the deteriorating road surfaces (potholes, grass growing into the road as a lack of ‘skoffeling’) and the perceived inability of the entities to deal with reinstatement effectively.”
Residents and members of the public have criticised Weweje and other ward councillors for not doing enough in ensuring that the roads are at a decent state. Weweje reminded residents that as a ward councillor she does not have the power to instruct any City official or entity to do anything. “When service delivery failures and/or concerns are brought to my attention, I am mandated to take the communities concerns and issues to the relevant platforms, namely, escalating the matter to entities, bringing the matter to Ward Councillor Forums, and if still not resolved, making sure that the concerns relating to the ward are represented in council.”
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