However, the deteriorating conditions on the city’s outskirts bear little resemblance to the ‘world class African city’ that Johannesburg has been branded and raises questions about the city’s commitment to its responsibilities.
In many areas, businesses and residents maintain the pavements surrounding their property.
The public have also resorted to community clean-ups and maintenance projects to ensure the upkeep of their spaces, easing the obligation on the city council.
However, the city council has been less than proactive in maintaining areas where there are no independent initiatives, resulting in stark neglect.
While the city council has lauded its efforts to clean up and restore the inner city and areas like Newtown, motorists have noted that areas on the outskirts, leading into the CBD, have been ignored and are in a state of decay.
Along Solomon and Smit streets and Joe Slovo Drive, the missing drain covers have been replaced by large yellow barricades that obstruct the pavement and protrude onto the road.
In some instances, these temporary measures have been used to cover exposed drains for months.
Merryl Kantor, a concerned motorist, contacted the City of Johannesburg over two years ago after noticing the degradation of the Melrose Bird Sanctuary and the surrounding area.
According to Kantor, vagrants had occupied the area despite ongoing appeals to the Metro police and Pikitup to relocate them.
This resulted in increasing amounts of garbage and vermin consuming the site.
Following correspondence with the Pikitup management, Kantor discovered that there were plans to relocate the squatters and clean the area, but this did not materialise.
In an email to the office of the Executive Mayor on 23 May, 2013, Kantor said: “Given the lack of action to-date to resolve this issue, I am requesting that you urgently intervene to have the recyclers relocated so that the area can be cleaned up and restored.”
After numerous emails following up the issue, Kantor received a response stating that “an Environmental Impact Study and consent use is slowing the process down”.
According to Kantor, following her complaint, City Parks had begun a partial clean-up of the area but their efforts proved futile without a permanent solution and the support of Metro police to monitor and maintain the site.
The area remains largely in the same condition.
Tim Truluck, Ward 117 councillor, said the city council does not undertake ample maintenance because it is constrained by the limited resources that are available, adding that it lacks manpower, funding and equipment.
Often smaller matters, like potholes, would be resolved while larger, sustainable maintenance issues are not addressed because the city council does not have sufficient funding, he said.
Truluck said the city council does undertake visible service delivery initiatives but these merely “scratch the surface”.
Meanwhile, the city council remained mum on its inaction regarding areas in poor condition. Despite the city council’s acknowledgment of questions regarding the matter, it failed to respond.
Parks Tau lies that the City is solvent. Part of his strategy is cutting back on maintaining the City. This is similar to how Clever Trevor “balanced the books” by underspending on infrastructure – both short terms covers that cause greater expense in the long run.
Another part of the problem is that the ZANC sees the middle class (especially white) suburbs as “cash cows” and the “class enemy”.
Apart from ignoring our equality under the Constitution (and Freedom Charter) this short-sighted policy will chase residents and investment away lowering the rates base and hurting the people the ZANC pretends to help the most.