Johannesburg councillor’s scathing e-mail over Sunninghill traffic light chaos

Ward 93 councillor Vino Reddy has called out the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), the Gauteng Provincial Department of Roads and Transport (GPDRT), and Eskom for their failure to address the ongoing traffic light outages at the intersection of Witkoppen and Leeuwkop roads in Sunninghill.

The traffic lights have been non-functional for months, causing dangerous driving conditions and significant traffic gridlocks.

Reddy, frustrated by the lack of response from the JRA and GPDRT despite numerous reports, is demanding immediate action.

A strongly-penned email

In the email, which was seen by Fourways Review, he directly questioned the entities responsible for the failing infrastructure. He specifically raised concerns over whether cabling issues were the root cause of the problem.

Reddy wrote: “JRA is quiet on the WhatsApp signals group. Despite engaging with all respondents, chaos reigns supreme while the traffic lights at major intersections on Witkoppen and Rivonia roads, and Maxwell Drive, remain unattended, some since January, and the intersection of Leslie Road and Sparrow Drive, in Magaliessig, has been down since April 2023.

“There are various issues that contribute to this problem, hence Eskom was copied on this email, but both JRA and GPDRT are responsible for ensuring their infrastructure works and ensuring that it’s repaired when reported.”

No major accidents at traffic lights…yet

Reddy stated that the malfunctioning traffic lights in Sunninghill and the wider ward have been reported to both the JRA and the Department of Transport. These issues have also been escalated to Region A, yet none of these lights have been fixed.

“I always get complaints from residents and try by all means to escalate them to relevant authorities,” he added.

“It is so frustrating to be met by [the authorities’] lack of response. There have been minor accidents so far at the intersection and fortunately nothing serious has happened yet.”

While JRA spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers redirected queries to the Province, stating the intersections fall under their jurisdiction, Reddy claimed there has been minimal response from GPDRT beyond the issuance of reference numbers.

Earlier this year, the Provincial Department of Roads and Transport reported an alarming surge in vandalism and theft targeting traffic lights in Gauteng.