Residents question JRA turnaround time amid mounting road damage

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05-03-2026
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Midrand Reporter
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Despite Operation Restore making its way through Ivory Park, greater Midrand residents say potholes continue to damage vehicles and patience.

While Operation Restore rolled into Ivory Park on February 18 with promises of improved service delivery, residents across greater Midrand say deteriorating roads and growing potholes remain a daily hazard.

Road maintenance, particularly pothole repairs, continues to dominate complaints from frustrated residents and motorists who describe driving in parts of the suburb as a risky and costly ordeal. Olivia Rutledge recently sent a complaint asking who the ward councillor of Halfway Gardens is after her vehicle struck a massive pothole on Barbet Road on February 5.

The incident left her car damaged and her children shaken. “The children had to Uber from school, as I had to wait for roadside assistance. It seems the pothole has been there for years. No one in the area has bothered to put something in there as a warning, even.”

Her experience is not isolated. Nyameka Makitshi also raised concerns about the deteriorating condition of Brand Road, describing the potholes as having now become ditches. “We hope to receive assistance, as this matter has long been experienced since 2024. Driving on that road has become the survival of the fittest. There is no courtesy at all from the drivers. We hope someone will pay attention.”

Residents of Chloe Street have also reported potholes that have allegedly remained unrepaired for over a year. They allege that some of the damage was left behind following repairs to pipe bursts. The resident added that new complaints had to be logged after being informed that previous complaints could not be traced.

Ward 132 councillor Annette Deppe confirmed that numerous potholes across Midrand, and her ward, have been reported to Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), but said slow response times remain a challenge. She said Norfolk Road, from Van Heerden Road through to the Kyalami Ridge complex, is heavily affected.

Other problem areas include Le Roux Road, the corner of Harry Galaun and Allandale roads, and the intersection of Jamie Uys and Candy streets, to name a few.

Deppe said the number of potholes being reported is significant, and residents are understandably frustrated, adding that continued follow-ups have been made with the roads agency.

On February 19, Midrand Reporter sent an inquiry to JRA to establish the entity’s turnaround time for pothole repairs once a complaint is logged, as well as which Midrand roads and infrastructure are currently on the maintenance plan. Entity spokesperson Mosa Makhalima said they are still waiting for a response from the depot and that they will revert soon.