CITY OF JOHANNESBURG
City of Johannesburg Press Statement by
The Executive Mayor, Cllr Herman Mashaba
Mashaba wages R88 million war on potholes
28 March 2017
Release: Immediate
Today, a number of City officials and myself took to the streets of Ivory Park and Midrand, as part of an R88 million mayoral intervention to address the pothole repair backlog, city wide.
We are declaring war on potholes and prioritising the repair of failing road surfaces.
I am pleased to announce the following interventions which have been put in place to address the current pothole repair backlogs:
1. The City provided additional funding to the JRA in the 2016/17 Adjustment Budget:
R60 million for materials and equipment for pothole repairs and other types of road maintenance; and
R28 million to start to address the 40% staff capacity shortage in the road maintenance teams.
2. A contractor has been appointed to assist with the repair of potholes while additional staff are being recruited.
3. Pot-hole repair teams are working overtime to tackle the backlog, including on weekends.
Together with JRA, we are committed to improving mobility within the city, through the provision of safe roads and infrastructure network.
As part of this exercise, a city-wide inspection will be carried out in accordance with the use of JRA’s Visual Condition Index (VCI) criteria, every two years, to enable the scientific prioritisation of roads for reconstruction and resurfacing.
The 2017 city wide VCI inspection indicates that 40% of the City’s roads are in very good condition, 15% in a good condition, 15% in a fair condition, 14% in a poor condition and 15% in a very poor condition.
Through JRA’s integrated citizen communications channels, 37 450 potholes were reported between April 2015 and February 2017, of which 32 740 have been resolved. This indicates an 87.4% resolution rate.
However, the time taken to repair potholes does not meet our resident’s demand for a professional public service which is caring and responsive, and the JRA is working on improving the turn-around time for the repair of potholes.
It must be noted that pothole repairs are a short term fix to ensure the safety of all road users, while resurfacing and/or reconstruction of roads remain the long term solutions to improving the condition of our road network.
As an interim solution, roads that have deteriorated but do not meet the VCI criteria for prioritisation within the available funding will undergo routine maintenance.
This will include pothole repairs and deep patching where possible, until roads are scheduled and budgeted for resurfacing or reconstruction.
The Road Reconstruction and Resurfacing Programme forms part of the JRA’s 10-year Roads Development Plan to achieve targeted improved road conditions across the City by 2023.
The JRA is responsible for a total of 13 428 km of roads and the new administration in Joburg inherited an estimated R3.5 billion backlog for road surfacing and R2.3 billion backlog for roads reconstruction.
While the current budget allocation for resurfacing and reconstruction does not fully address these backlogs, this administration is committed to progressively increase the budgets for these activities over time.
On this point I am pleased to state that we have initiated a programme of tarring roads in impoverished areas which have had to live 23 years into democracy with gravel roads. These upgrades will take place in Doornkop, Lawley, Mayibuye, Tshepisong, Protea South and Ivory Park.
Road and transport infrastructure isn’t just a means of moving people and goods from one point to another. Road and transport infrastructure is a way for people to access jobs, a way for businesses to access markets and one of the ways we create connected and integrated communities.
To have a thriving economy, you need a transport network which functions like a well-oiled machine.
We will continue to commit more resources, better technology, newer equipment and better trained teams to respond effectively to all vexing issues that frustrate our residents.
Cllr Herman Mashaba
Executive Mayor
City of Joburg
For more information please contact:
Tony Taverna-Turisan
Director of Communications
Office of the Executive Mayor
City of Johannesburg
Tel: 011 407 7375
Cellular: 082 920 9708
Email:
MEDIARELEASE
From: Kgamanyane Maphologela
Director: Communications & Stakeholder Management
Date: 28 November 2016
Services at your doorstep
Johannesburg property-owners who are unhappy about the service they receive particularly at the walk-in-customer service centres city-wide, can talk directly with their area managers.
The City’s Spokesman Kgamanyane Maphologela says the City is serious about improving customer service, as this is part of the City’s ten point plan of running a responsive and pro-poor government.
“We want our customers to know that, they don’t necessarily have to drive all the way to the main customer service centre in Braamfontein when they have queries; but right at their area they can escalate their queries to the area managers,” says Maphologela.
Maphologela says the City is pushing to ensure that customer service improves significantly. Part of the broader plan to improve customer service is the City’s billing regionalisation project which will be launched on the 1st February 2017. The focus of this project will be on customer centricity, allowing customers to choose their own dates in which to settle their accounts between the 15th and 28th of every month, improving billing accuracy and ensuring that services move closer to where customers are.
Maphologela says as part of strengthening regional offices, the area managers would be available across all the City’s seven regions, from Soweto to Midrand, where they would deal with customers who have long outstanding queries and are not happy.
“Customers with queries that have a life-span of more than 30 days, can escalate their query by requesting to speak directly to the area manager responsible for their area,” says Maphologela.
Maphologela says customers should always follow the City’s escalation process in order to have their queries resolved quickly, which includes amongst others keeping the reference number after logging a query. The regional offices will have the photos, cellphone numbers and email addresses on display of the responsible area managers should customers need their details.
The escalation process from when the customer first logs a query:
• Log your municipal related query via the call centre (0860 562 874), regional Customer Service Centre across the City and get a Reference Number
• Queries should be resolved within 30 days. If you have not received any resolution or response, please follow the next step in escalation process
• Escalate your query to the regional manager if your query is still not resolved after 30 days
• If there is still no response after the query has been escalated to the regional manager, speak to the deputy director
• If a customer is still unhappy with the resolution they received from the City, they can contact the City’s Ombudsman office
List of regional managers is as follows:
• Region A (Midrand), Benson Moss Mosweu, ; 011 203 3331/ 073 117 2356
• Region B (Randburg, Northcliff, Rosebank), Thulisile Nongogo, ; 011 787 7483/084 324 5689
• Region C (Roodepoort), Shaun Govender, ; 082 332 3808 / 011 761 0314
• Region D (Soweto), Thomas Tshilongo, ; 011 932 0824/084 763 1005
• Region E (Sandton), Bongiwe Jolipepa, ; 011 628 4174/082 493 7183
• Region F, (Inner-City) Glendah Skosana, ; 011 628 4174/082 493 7183
• Region G (Lenasia, Ennerdale), Phumzile Mokone, ; 011 852 6292/082 301 0529
•
Regional Deputy Directors responsible for regions:
• Region Deputy Director for region A,B,C,E, F is Arthur Mbobo, ; 011 628-4084, 072 939 4786
• Regional Deputy Director for region D and G is Elias Setelele, ; 011 628-4482, 071 499 2490
Issued by:
Kgamanyane Maphologela
Director: Communications & Stakeholder Management
Group Finance
Phone: 011 358 3420
Fax: 011 358 3639
Cell: 081 707 3196
Email: