The roads may be in a poor state, there is illegal dumping on private properties and little has been done about land invaders, but Ward 101 is still in a better state than many other wards in Joburg.
So said Ward 101 councillor Ralf Bittkau as he prepares to tackle new and old challenges in 2023.
The ward encompasses the suburbs of Boskruin, Bromhof, Northwold, Sonneglans, Sharonlea, Olivedale, and other smaller neighbouring suburbs.
Bittkau lives within his ward in the suburb of Meadowhurst.
“Homeless people are currently doing a better job than JRA filling up potholes at the moment,” the councillor leaned forward in his chair in his lounge during an interview.
“I keep escalating new potholes and every time JRA just tells me they are added to the list, but they never say when these will be dealt with or how long the list is.”
Jacaranda Avenue and Blandford Road are in a dismal state currently, with enormous potholes and furrows in the ground that motorists have to dodge.
When Randburg Sun brought the issue to Joburg Roads Agency spokesperson Kelebogile Mafa she replied, “I have requested our regional operations team to provide feedback on the status of the call logged for Blandford and will revert to you soonest.”
Bittkau also lamented the dumping of rubbish on private property in his ward, and the land invasion on the open veld next to the N1 highway, between Jacaranda Avenue and Malibongwe Drive.
WATCH: Metro police inspect site of land invasion in Randburg
This is on the border of Olivedale, Meadowhurst and Ferndale.
“Despite all of this, the ward is still doing better than many others.
“Where we have a pothole, a ward next door will have no road, no service delivery or unconstrained dumping.”
There have been serious electricity issues in the ward in recent months but at the moment power supply seems to be stable.
Water delivery and rubbish removal have also not seen any major issues of late.
“Some residents have complained to me about people holding up signs at intersections looking for jobs. But there is not much that can be done about that as they have a constitutional right to seek employment.”
Illegal taxi ranks are also brought to Bittkau’s attention but the best solution to the problem – to construct formal taxi ranks to meet the need in the area with adequate ablution facilities and refuse removal – is always rejected by residents.
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