July 21, 2005
By Ndaba Dlamini and Rose Setshoge
ALL the gravel roads in the sprawling townships of Soweto have been tarred, well in advance of the target date of December 2005.
Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Amos Masondo was taken on a tour of some of the 27 townships that make up Soweto, which now boast mud- and dust-free roads, on Wednesday 20 July.
The City spent R485,2-million and delivered 314,1 kilometres of tarred roads in a three-year period.
The tour, organised by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JDA), culminated in a celebratory function at the Moletsane Sports Grounds.
Masondo was accompanied by the mayoral committee member for parks, roads and community development, Christine Walters; Council Speaker Nandi Mayathula-Khoza; City Manager Pascal Moloi; and the managing director of the JRA, Mavela Dlamini.
Moletsane
In Moletsane, the mayor cut a ribbon to hand over formally the tarred section to the community. In Zola 1, members of the community were able to congratulate him on a job well done.
"The Zola community is very grateful for what the City has done," said Elizabeth Nkosi, a community member.
"But we appeal to the mayor to go a step further by providing us with a road that links the Shoprite store to Zola 1. The area in between is mushy and is treacherous during the rainy season."
The JRA project to tar and upgrade gravel roads started in 2002, to prevent dust on dry days and mud on rainy days, build storm water drainage, and deal with the general lack of accessibility.
Protea Glen
En route to Protea Glen, the mayoral cavalcade passed Koma Road, which is being upgraded at a cost of R8-million. It also stopped to cut a ribbon to open officially a newly constructed road that links Protea Glen to Lusaka township.
"The community of Ward 14 commends what the City has done," said Cecil Ndlovu, the ward councillor. "We will make sure we keep this stretch of road in as clean and intact a state as it is now."
Further up the new road, Masondo unveiled a plaque to commemorate the completion of the project. Children from Emseni Junior Primary School sang the national anthem, much to the dignatories' appreciation.
The Moletsane Sports Grounds were teaming with JRA workers when the cavalcade finally arrived about 12.30pm. A huge tent pitched in the middle of the grounds was full to capacity as Mayathula-Khoza welcomed the guests and congratulated the JRA on a job well done.
Basic services
In his speech Masondo said that when Soweto was established it bore all the marks of a settlement denied basic infrastructure and services.
"We meet here today to say that all this has changed and will continue to do so as we intensify efforts to deliver services to all our people.
"Three years ago we set ourselves the target of tarring all roads in Soweto by December 2005. In total we have delivered enough kilometres of road to drive from Joburg in Gauteng to Kroonstad in the Free State and back," the mayor said.
The project was undertaken on a scale unheard of, nor recorded anywhere in the history of the City of Johannesburg. He said it had not been limited to Soweto, but had been extended to Ivory Park, Diepsloot and Orange Farm.
Walters urged residents to guard the new roads jealously. JRA board member Letlhogonolo Moatlhodi said the City had created an environment in Soweto that was in line with the City's 2030 vision to create a world class city.
After the formal ceremony, it was food and drink galore as JRA workers and residents celebrated the project's completion.
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