Latest news with #JoburgRoadsAgency
Eyewitness News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
CoJ rejects claims R192 million allocated for Lilian Ngoyi Street wasted
JOHANNESBURG - The City of Johannesburg has rejected allegations that the R192 million allocated for the reconstruction of Lilian Ngoyi Street has been wasted. This comes in response to accusations from the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng, which claims corruption is behind the delays in repairing the road. ALSO READ: Joburg Roads Agency says Lilian Ngoyi Street repairs at 77% complete Although it has been two years since an underground gas explosion severely damaged the street, the city has committed to completing the repairs by the end of next month. Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) CEO Zweli Nyathi insists that every cent of the allocated funds has been used effectively. 'From where we are sitting, we are still within budget, and nothing has ballooned like they are implying. There have been no additional costs. From where I am sitting, I haven't paid anything beyond that.'
The Citizen
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Young swimmer makes it to six finals, clinches bronze, at South African Junior Nationals
Gemma Walters has made a splash at her first major national swimming event, the South African National Junior Championships held in Cape Town recently. The 15-year-old, from Brescia House School, qualified for six finals across eight events, achieving personal bests in every race and earning her first junior national medal: a bronze in the 200m backstroke. Gemma's journey into competitive swimming began at age 12, after winning multiple 50m races at her primary school's challenge gala. Also read: Kew residents fill pothole in spite of Joburg Roads Agency's promise Inspired by her father and driven by her passion, she quickly progressed through club training, setting her sights on bigger stages. 'It's incredible to know that all my hard work with training over the past few months has paid off. I never expected to make this many finals, especially with a personal best, by as much as six seconds, in my 400m individual medley. I'm incredibly happy with how this gala went, exceeding my own expectations of how I could perform under pressure.' Her journey was not without hurdles. She faced a rotator cuff injury two months before the event. 'It was very stressful, but I started sessions with a biokineticist to strengthen my shoulder, which helped me recover and get back into training.' She added that her discipline and perseverance paid off, allowing her to resume her six-times-a-week training routine, to peak at the right moment. Read more: Progress being made on pipe repairs at Illovo reservoir The highlight of Gemma's competition was the 200m backstroke final, where she not only secured third place but also dropped five seconds off her entry time. 'Catching up and overtaking the swimmer in third place was an incredible feeling. Talking to other swimmers beforehand, sharing our frustrations and encouragement, really boosted my confidence.' Qualifying for the finals at junior nationals was a dream come true, especially at her age. 'Knowing I'll be competing at that level against the best swimmers in South Africa is surreal. I'd love to make a B final next time and keep improving.' Looking ahead, Gemma plans to focus on next, upcoming junior nationals, aiming to add more medals and improve her times. Long-term, she hopes to qualify for the World Championships or World Junior Championships and represent South Africa on the international stage. Also read: JMPD nabs two in Sandhurst cable theft bust Gemma offers encouraging advice to young swimmers. 'Don't put too much pressure on yourself at every gala. It's normal to have setbacks, but those moments motivate you to work harder. Trust in your training and enjoy the journey.' Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration! Have a story idea? We'd love to hear from you – join our WhatsApp group and share your thoughts!
The Citizen
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Joburg needs action, not a ‘bomb squad'
The creation of a bomb squad to tackle Joburg's woes is a misguided solution that distracts from the real accountability needed. There is a school of thought among social media conspiracy theorists that the decline in the provision of quality services by state-owned enterprises and government structures is deliberately allowed to happen by individuals who have either set up their own private entities to step into the gap and profit, or allow their friends and families to profit. For instance, the chaos in the health care system obviously favours private hospital owners as well as providers of medical aid because there would be no need for their services if the state could provide these by efficiently using the money collected from taxpayers. These obviously remain conspiracy theories until proven otherwise, but the chaos in the administration of places like the City of Joburg municipality does nothing to disprove the theories. The mayor of the city has come up with one of the strangest solutions to the failure of the metropolitan municipality to arrest the decay in this once beautiful city at the hub of South Africa's centre of commerce. He has suggested the establishment of a Springbok rugby-inspired 'bomb squad' that will step in when the city fails in the provision of services. In other words, a structure would be established to cover for the failures of the constitutionally mandated structures that form the municipality of Joburg. ALSO READ: Does Johannesburg really need a 'Bomb Squad'? This is probably the most bizarre suggestion yet made to rescue a dysfunctional municipality, the formation of what would effectively become a parallel council. The problems facing the City of Joburg are not new or unique. The breakdown in infrastructure of simple things like traffic lights and the proliferation of potholes on the city's roads are nothing but lack of maintenance. There is the Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) that was formed in 2001 for precisely that purpose – the planning, construction and maintenance of roads. What would the bomb squad do in this instance? What would the JRA do when their job is done for them? The decay in the inner city buildings that has led to shacks being erected in high-rise buildings means that for the past three decades, the member of the mayoral committee on the environment and infrastructure has been sleeping on the job. ALSO READ: Zikalala can crack the whip – but will he? Why is Joburg city centre infested with criminals robbing people in broad daylight? Where is the MMC for community safety? These problems do not need a bomb squad that will also be paid out of taxpayer money, they need those elected like Dada Morero himself to do what they are paid to do. If they cannot they need to move aside and let those who can to do those jobs take over. The DA has proposed a motion of no confidence in the mayor and the speaker. South Africans have seen this movie before. It does not end well. ALSO READ: Morero's vision to make Johannesburg a world-class African city In fact, part of the chaos in the City of Joburg is because of these endless motions of no confidence which result in the disruption of the little service delivery that is happening, with a new team coming in and trying to find their feet while residents suffer. There were murmurs from a 'shocked' President Cyril Ramaphosa about restoring the city to its former glory a while ago. Maybe he needs to put that in motion before the upcoming elections because the suggestion that is on the table right now is proving the conspiracy theorists right. There must be individuals or entities that benefit from a run-down City of Joburg, otherwise why would they allow the chaos to continue? Joburg can easily return to its former glory if everyone did their job, without bomb squads.
Daily Maverick
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Lesufi's ‘back to basics' for Joburg is lost in empty promises, potholes and cynicism
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has promised a 'back to basics' campaign to fix services in Gauteng municipalities ahead of the local elections. Some in Joburg say they have reason for optimism. But many residents regard Lesufi's promises with a well-founded cynicism. On Sunday, Premier Panyaza Lesufi spoke at a Gauteng ANC gathering, promising that the ANC in the province would focus on improving services. Although he is the premier, Lesufi is no longer the party's elected leader of the province, but a 'co-convenor' along with Amos Masondo, after the national ANC took over much of its provincial machinery. Lesufi's promises will no doubt stoke optimism in certain quarters. News24 reported that he promised that a 'working group will meet weekly to fix all the traffic lights … [and] all municipalities led by the ANC and our coalition partners have now finally established units to attend to potholes and to repair all the potholes in our province as soon as possible'. But, as weary residents know all too well, there have been many promises for many years about the problems that Joburg faces. In parts of the city, traffic lights have not worked for years. This is because of a dispute between the Joburg Roads Agency and the province about who is responsible for them. Neither side has budged for years, meaning the traffic lights remain unoperational. Potholes, of course, are everywhere. In some places, they are incredibly deep, showing how long they have been there. Some potholes are eventually attended to, in part thanks to the private sector, where at least one company is filling in potholes. Worse, some of the infrastructure is dangerous. Touching dangling electrical wires can be fatal; drains are left as massive holes in the ground. This reporter once caught his young child at the last second as she started falling into a 5m-deep hole at a park. What makes it worse is that the politicians can no longer be believed. For years, the ANC has promised there would be clean governance in Joburg. But as Currency News explained recently, the way your money is wasted is simply obscene. Nearly 10% of the money the City of Joburg spends from its R83-billion budget is classed as unauthorised. Officials who misspend this money get off with virtually no punishment. This explains why the city may be on the cusp of a rates revolt, where residents refuse to pay for services they don't receive. The President's plan Considering the symbolic importance of Joburg in the local elections that must be held before February 2027, it would be rational to assume that the ANC would focus on Gauteng in general, and this city in particular. This would inform President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement nearly two months ago that he would create a Presidential Working Group for Joburg. Strangely, there appears to be no online record of who is on the working group. While there are several references to the fact that it includes civil society groups, the names on the list have not been widely publicised. Read more: Johannesburg's collapse, capture, corruption is a national risk, President to hear. It is known that the group includes officials from the City of Joburg and its entities, the private sector, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), Jozi My Jozi, the SA Property Owners Association and the Joburg Crisis Alliance. Considering that groups like Outa have been very outspoken in their criticism of the government and the Joburg Council in recent years, the fact that this group is working together with those two entities is quite extraordinary. At least one of the working group's members is very positive. Angela Rivers represents the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She says the meetings are 'well-attended, by everyone from the council, from the President's office, and the private sector is committed. And the meetings start on time. The one meeting we finished at 19.30 at night; 55 people logged in at the start, and 55 people logged out when it finished.' She also says the nine workstreams have been given strict deadlines to come up with short-, medium- and long-term plans. Ramaphosa is then expected to put his stamp of approval on the plans, 'and then we have to make it happen'. Considering the lived experience of most people in Joburg, it is surprising to hear such confidence from someone who has been so intimately involved with the city for so long. New promises from old faces Of course, for many people in Joburg, services and infrastructure have declined so consistently for so long that it is difficult to believe any promises of improvement. Lesufi's latest claims have been made before. Crucially, the people who run the city have not changed. There is a big risk that some members of the working group pull out, or that Joburg Council members refuse to implement the group's decisions. Some might feel that if they make real progress, and services and infrastructure do improve, the ANC and Lesufi will claim responsibility. This would be seen as unfair and could lead to a dispute just before the local elections. The depths of the crisis, both in terms of infrastructure and corruption, should not be underestimated. Helen Botes is still the acting city manager, despite a series of apparent scandals over her management of properties and money. The scale of the changes and the amount of money needed at entities like Joburg Water and City Power is huge, and the cash will have to come from somewhere. Most Joburgers must surely believe that it's highly unlikely anything will change for the better in the city in the next two years. It's also unlikely that the results of the local elections will change things significantly, making it hard to see a coalition of like-minded parties forming an administration that can improve things (although support for the ANC is likely to fall dramatically).
