Ward 56 councillor Michael Crichton still struggles to have grass cut

Ward 56 councillor Michael Crichton said the grass in his ward has been left to grow taller than the height of an average person, under the ANC-led administration in the City of Johannesburg.

This is a problem that forces pedestrians to walk in the road. It also makes it extremely difficult for motorists to get a full view around certain bends.

There is also the potential for criminals to hide in the grass, and among other things, mug pedestrians, hijack cars and break into houses, with the grass being a good hide-out spot for them.

“I have tried my best to get the grass cut on the sidewalks. I started by approaching Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ), which stated that it first needs to receive funds and a work order from the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).

“I contacted the JRA depot, but was informed that the Head of Department (HOD) was unclear if the cutting of grass is indeed the JRA’s mandate.

“In light of this statement, I wrote to the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community Development, councillor Margaret Arnolds, and MMC for Transport councillor Nonhlanhla Makhuba and pleaded with them to provide clarity on which department is responsible for grass-cutting and to please intervene,” explained Crichton.

Following several emails sent to her, Arnolds forwarded Crichton’s emails to an official, Marks Sethaelo, who is the general manager for regional parks maintenance.

Sethaelo eventually got back to the councillor and said the JCPZ is not mandated to cut the grass on the sidewalks and that the budget does indeed reside with the JRA.

Furthermore, that they need to issue JCPZ with framework orders if they want the JCPZ to maintain a specific area.

“I have subsequently been engaging with various officials at the JRA, asking them what their plan is for grass-cutting, and if I can send them a list of streets that badly need attention.

“However, they are still not admitting that it is their mandate to deal with and, as a result, cannot tell what their plan is to get the grass cut.

“Much to my disappointment, I have sent councillor Makhuba several emails about this situation, and to date I have not yet received any response from her.

“I will be asking the executive mayor, councillor Geoffrey Makhubo, a written question in council as to whose mandate it is.

“It seems I will need to approach the private sector to sponsor the cutting of grass in certain streets. I will not stop fighting for the grass to be cut because service delivery is a priority for our residents,” he said.

The COURIER contacted both JCPZ (Noeleen Mattera) and JRA (Zoleka Jika) for comment via email on February 18, they haven’t responded.