Roads are littered with potholes and overgrown grass in this Soweto community

• The roads around Braamfischerville, Phase 2 in Soweto, Johannesburg are in a terrible state.
• Many of the roads are littered with potholes and some have grass growing across the roadway with uprooted blocks and mud.
• When it rains, roads are flooded, making it difficult for people to leave their homes.
• The City’s transport boss, Kenny Kunene, has promised residents that they will soon be grading the roads as a temporary solution.

It’s been a week since City of Johannesburg MMC for Transport, Kenny Kunene promised to temporarily resurface roads in Braamfischerville, Phase 2 in Soweto.

This was in a meeting that was part of the City’s Integrated Development Planning (IDP) roadshow on service delivery challenges.

It also follows a protest in March by residents unable to access their homes by car, as well as transport operators complaining of the poor state of roads in the neighbourhood. They demanded that the Johannesburg Road Agency fix the roads immediately, but the City said it needed to assess its IDP budget before it could commit to a more permanent solution.

Many of the roads are littered with potholes and some have grass growing across the roadway with uprooted blocks and mud. They say the worst affected section is the corner of Khedive Street and Maharadja Avenue.

When it rains, roads are flooded, making it difficult for people to leave their homes.

Community leader Connie Mudau said they have struggled with poor stormwater drainage for about 15 years. “It has deteriorated to the point where sewage comes out in our kitchen sinks after heavy rains,” she said.

Mudau said the situation reached boiling point in June last year, when about 130 community members signed a petition and submitted it to the Johannesburg Road Agency. “Johannesburg Road Agency told us in a meeting that Joburg Water must fix the leaking pipes before it can fix the roads,” she said.

Resident Thabiso Zwane said, “The quality of life around here is poor. Roads have been blocked for more than three years, so we ended up cleaning the drains ourselves.”

“We complained and fought to the point where people went to the councillor’s offices with buckets full of the sewage … for him to feel the pain the community feels. No one has tangible evidence that the councillor has done anything for us,” he said.

City of Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda confirmed that Kunene and other officials had met with the community last week. He said the City is “assessing how much budget is needed” to fix the roads, among other issues in the area.

“I’m aware of the conditions, especially of the roads in Braamfischerville. We are currently conducting our IDP processes so that we can sufficiently allocate budget to solve the infrastructure issues,” he said.

But in the meantime, Gwamanda said, the roads in the areas will be resurfaced as a temporary measure to remove the potholes and other irregularities on the surface of the roads.

“So the MMC will immediately start with grading the roads, ensuring that there is mobility for cars. We will then assess the amount needed to fix not only the roads, but also the pedestrian walkways and other open public spaces in Braamfischerville,” said Gwamanda.

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