August 14, 2003
By Tammy O'Reilly
THE removal of Joburg's illegal boom-gates is set to resume on Friday after a three-week lull, with the Johannesburg Roads Agency planning to dismantle more than 500 unlawful structures.
Several illegal road closures in Joburg's northern and north-eastern suburbs were removed on 18 July, immediately after the cut-off for residents to apply to legalise their road closures. However, since that initial flurry, there has been a lull in removals.
This week residents were once again requested to remove any illegal structures voluntarily. A list of all illegal closures in the city, is available on the JRA's web site.
Managing Director of Johannesburg Roads Agency, Mavela Dlamini announced that an audit by the City indicated that 309 applications to legalise 655 road closures had been received, with most of the requests coming from Morningside, Sandhurst, and Wendywood. These applications affected 436 roads.
The applications are still being considered by the JRA, with some results to be announced within the next three weeks.
The JRA said the process would be completed by November. A management plan would then be put in place to ensure that the legal structures were operational at all times, and that the public were not subjected to unlawful and intrusive searches.
"In total 1 129 roads have been affected by structures such as booms, palisade gates and fencing, and electric gates," Dlamini said.
Of concern to JRA was that roads that had been closed to the public had not been maintained, and some were beginning "to show cracks". If neglected, these roads could be dangerous to motorists, Dlamini said.
The council decided in April to adopt a policy declaring all security gates blocking access to streets in suburbs around the city illegal. It then gave residents a deadline to register the security structures and apply to close certain roads.
The JRA outlined the criteria for the applications. There "must be an overall consensus of 80 percent among all stakeholders" for the booms to be legalised. Further, all crime statistics brought forward by residents had to be verified.
Residents also had to demonstrate that erecting booms would contribute to a decrease in the levels of crime in their area. Other alternatives had to be explored before boom-gates would be considered. Dlamini, however, warned that "road closures do not necessarily deter criminals".
Residents requiring more information can call Hendrik van Tonder on 011 298 500 or e-mail hvantonder@jra.org.za
