Title: Reconstruction of Lilian Ngoyi Street advances after gas explosion
Introduction :
The City of Johannesburg is still awaiting the declaration of the gas explosion on Lilian Ngoyi Street (formerly Bree Street) as a disaster by the National Disaster Management Centre. This would allow it to access the funds necessary for reconstruction. Despite this, the city has already invested almost R196 million for the road reconstruction, based on detailed design work and a tender process to find the best prices for construction.
Reconstruction progress:
Six months after reconstruction efforts began, a contractor and technical team were appointed. Officials are also working on formalizing a request to declare the affected area a disaster zone. It is crucial for the city not to delay the implementation of the rehabilitation works, which is why the budget has been adjusted and additional resources will be mobilized to cover the costs of the project.
Opposition response:
During an inspection at the site last week, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) political party criticized the lack of progress on repairs and accused city officials of faking their productivity. . However, the city claimed that reconstruction work did not actually begin until January 2024, after a planning and design phase since August 2023.
The deadline and the doubts:
The construction project will be supervised by the Johannesburg Roads Agency and is expected to be completed by December 2024, meeting the city’s 18-month deadline of October 2023. However, political party ActionSA expresses doubts about the completion of the project within the set deadlines, while emphasizing that the financing remains unclear and that the financial situation of the city is not healthy.
Impact on traders:
Shop owners and vendors in the surrounding area said the closure of the street has seriously affected their business operations. Some were forced to move their stalls to another area, less frequented by customers. Shopkeepers in the area also indicated that since the explosion, traffic had been diverted, leading to a drop in their turnover.
Conclusion :
The reconstruction of Lilian Ngoyi Street in Johannesburg is progressing despite the difficulties and delays encountered. The city has mobilized resources to accelerate the rehabilitation work, while seeking additional funds. Local merchants are facing economic challenges, but hope the reopening of the street will once again attract customers and reinvigorate commercial activity in the area.