Ekurhuleni Should Urgently Repair Main Reef Road and Put a Stop to Illegal Mining Activities

The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) urgently calls on the Ekurhuleni Metro to immediately take action by establishing a multidisciplinary task team to repair the dilapidated Main Reef Road and put a stop to illegal mining activities in the area.

A section of Main Reef Road, which runs past the informal settlement Plastic City in Brakpan, has been closed since November 2020 after Zama-Zama activities destroyed the road infrastructure.

Motorists are now forced to use a dangerous detour through Plastic City to access residential areas and industries. This is not only inconvenient, but also poses serious safety risks to motorists.

In addition, incidents of violence in Plastic City are on the rise, with several fatal shooting incidents reported.

The nearby Weltevreden landfill site is another hot spot where shootings frequently occur and there is inadequate access control.

Community anger boiled over on 9 September during a meeting of the local Community Policing Forum (CPF), with residents threatening to take matters into their own hands if authorities do not act soon. This is a dangerous turning point that requires immediate action.

Although R500 000 has already been spent on planning and a further R5 million is budgeted over two financial years, no repair work has been done on Main Reef Road.

The Freedom Front Plus requested an intervention study in June 2023, but after more than 24 months and escalating risks, it has still not been completed.

The party demanded that the following measures be implemented in an official letter to the Mayoral Committee Member for Roads, Storm Water and Transport, Andile Mngwevu:

• Establish a task team comprising relevant Metro departments, the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police, the police, the Department of Home Affairs and the local CPF to find solutions to secure the area and repair the road.
• Conduct ongoing joint operations to put a stop to illegal mining activities, confiscate weapons and equipment, seal tunnels and secure the area.
• Intensify access control at the Weltevreden landfill site and regulate recycling activities.
• Conduct a geo-technical survey and compile a realistic financial plan for fully repairing Main Reef Road.
• Regular reporting to the CPF and relevant oversight committees.

The Freedom Front Plus will keep supporting law enforcement and civil organisations in their bid to find a lawful, safe and sustainable solution to repair Main Reef Road and end illegal mining activities.

Freedom Front Plus Community Development: The FF Plus is involved in community development initiatives.

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