By Jonk wa Mashamba
Editor-in-Chief
news@alexreporter.co.za
Road-related service delivery is expected to boom in Johannesburg as Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) employees returned to work full-time since.
This means JRA depots to run at 100% capacity to boost service delivery. This follows a directive from Acting City Manager, Floyd Brink.
Since Covid-19 regulations were gazetted in March 2020, the roads agency has been forced to reduce capacity at its depots, significantly affecting the repair and maintenance of road infrastructure throughout the City.
So severe were these conditions that, for a period of five months following the resumption of Covid-19 regulations, JRA was unable to produce asphalt to carry out crucial repairs of potholes and road resurfacing.
This comes after JRA was not declared an essential service, resulting in the entity’s employees reporting for duty on a rotational basis.
City of Johannesburg MMC Transport, Cllr Funzela Ngobeni said: “On the employee front, for almost two years, the entity has been forced to operate with two-thirds of its usual workforce of general workers at any given time.
“I therefore welcome the decision to issue a directive instructing all JRA employees, especially general workers normally stationed at the City’s depots, to return to work on a full-time basis with immediate effect.
“With my office spearheading the rollout of A Re Sebetseng region-by-region service delivery blitz campaigns, the additional manpower will ensure that service requests logged by residents will be addressed quicker than before,” said Ngobeni.
Ngobeni requested the JRA CEO, Mr Selemo Republic Monakedi, to inform the Agency’s employees of this directive.
“As per the Acting City Manager’s directive, no JRA employee is permitted to negotiate to work from home. Identified vulnerable employees must be managed in line with Occupational Health and Safety provisions.
“The roads agency must also adhere to health and safety protocols related to hand sanitisers, screening, face masks and hygiene.
“It should be noted that any employee that disregards this directive will be dealt with through JRA’s consequence management processes.
“It is my sincere hope that JRA employees who are subject to this directive recognise their importance in enabling the City to get the basics right, to deliver effective services and to get Johannesburg working again,” Ngobeni said.
