Delays Plague Lilian Ngoyi Street Repairs Amid Coordination Issues

The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has acknowledged that progress on repairing Lilian Ngoyi Street is being hindered by the need for Joburg Water to divert major steel water pipes before rehabilitation work can continue.

JRA project manager Jeff Maluleke explained that the first phase of the repair project requires the construction of underground concrete tunnels. However, large steel water pipes supplying the city run directly through the site, creating a significant challenge. Diverting these pipes is beyond the JRA’s capacity, making Joburg Water’s involvement essential.

“We hold technical meetings with City Power, Joburg Water, and other key stakeholders to emphasize the urgency of resolving this issue,” Maluleke said.

Speaker of the Johannesburg council, Nobuhle Mthembu, visited the site and expressed frustration at the slow pace of repairs. She admitted that the city faces a tough task in explaining the continued setbacks to residents.

“It’s going to be difficult for us to tell residents that there’s still a massive hole in the middle of the road. All they want is for this to be fixed. Their lives have been disrupted for years,” Mthembu said.

It has now been two years since a gas explosion tore through Lilian Ngoyi Street, killing one person and injuring 40 others.

One of the major setbacks has been a legal dispute between the city and the original contractor. This led to the appointment of a new contractor, Korone Engineering, contradicting JRA’s claim that recent heavy rains were the primary cause of delays.

“They [JRA] mentioned rain, but I don’t believe that was the main issue. The change of contractors was a major setback,” Mthembu stated.

She also criticized the lack of coordination between departments handling the project, warning that ineffective communication was worsening the situation.

“We have an MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Service Development (EISD), a MEC of transport, and committee chairpersons for both. These people need to meet and talk—it’s not complicated. That’s the only way this problem gets solved,” she added.

Mthembu further condemned the failure of those responsible for overseeing the project.

“We can’t have a situation where residents come directly to our offices demanding answers while we have committee members who should be ensuring progress,” she said.

City officials now estimate that the full restoration of Lilian Ngoyi Street will be completed by August 2025, with the first phase expected to be finished within six months. Initially, repairs were supposed to be completed by December 2024.

The total reconstruction project is expected to cost R200 million, yet only R17 million has been spent so far from the nearly R180 million budget.

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