WATCH: MMC Kenny Kunene leads oversight tour, warns M1 & M2 bridges face ‘structural threats’

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26-06-2026
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Southern Courier
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MMC for Transport flags safety crisis, after inspection of four key bridges.

The City of Johannesburg’s MMC for Transport, Kenny Kunene, alongside the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) Board and CEO Zweli Nyathi, conducted a media oversight visit to sections of the M1 and M2 bridges damaged by vagrant encampments and vandalism.

The inspection covered four high-priority sites: End Street under the M2 East at Joe Slovo Drive off-ramp, Steel Bridge on Heidelberg Road, Heidelberg Road Bridge under the M2 Motorway, and Booysens Road/Pixely Seme Street Bridge under the M2 Motorway in Selby.

The visit aimed to highlight extensive damage to bridge infrastructure, potential structural threats, and safety concerns arising from vagrant encampments within the bridge structures.

Media were taken through areas showing fire damage, stripped infrastructure, and makeshift shelters built directly against bridge supports.

MMC for Transport Kenny Kunene did not mince words after the tour: “We saw firsthand what years of neglect and unchecked encampments have done to our bridges. These are not just eyesores – they are structural threats that put motorists, pedestrians and people at risk. The City will act decisively. We cannot allow vandalism and illegal occupation to compromise the infrastructure that thousands of Joburgers depend on daily. This is a safety crisis, and we are treating it as such,” Kunene said.

JRA officials pointed out fire damage to concrete, stolen expansion joints, and debris that could affect drainage and structural integrity.

The agency said assessments were underway to determine the full scope of repairs needed.

A vagrant encampment under the M2 Bridge. Photo: Shirvaan Pather

The City said the oversight forms part of a broader push to reclaim and restore critical transport infrastructure ahead of increased winter traffic and ongoing maintenance programmes.

JRA will now compile a report with recommendations for urgent repairs and long-term interventions to prevent reoccupation.