NKRA Communique – May 2022

Hi everyone

The Covid-19 pandemic is still spluttering along. There are still government regulations in place, including that we still need to wear masks when inside an indoor public place, no person may use any form of public transport unless wearing a face mask and, for any indoor gatherings, a maximum of 50% of the venue capacity may be occupied. Please continue to be careful for a few more months at least.

The various excavations on the pavements have not yet been fixed. However the private sector has once again intervened regarding potholes in the roads. Discovery Insure, Dialdirect Insurance and the City of Johannesburg are jointly managing a “Pothole Patrol”, to repair potholes across Johannesburg. Since the initiative began in May 2021, the Pothole Patrol has apparently repaired over 50 000 potholes. They spray the asphalt into the pothole with high pressure hoses, and then they paint their signature on the repair, so motorists can see who repaired that particular patch. They recently conducted some repairs in Riviera Road as well.

Their ability to repair potholes depends on the potholes being reported. Johannesburg road users are therefore encouraged to report potholes via the existing City of Johannesburg call centre on 0860-562-874. The process is probably more effective if road users report the potholes using one of two digital channels:

1. Download the Pothole Patrol App – from the IOS app store and Google Play;
2. WhatsApp “Hi” to 084 -POTHOLE (084 768 4653) and follow the prompts.

Please all help us by reporting all the potholes, and any other road-related issues.

Also on a happier note, things are definitely looking up in 1^st Street. St John’s Wood has started fixing up the peeling paint on their 1^st Street exterior. Lhenveolan in 1^st Street has started a full-scale repainting exercise, and Killarney Court and Gardens in 1^st Street is also well advanced with a serious renovations program. Dukes Court in 1^st Street is busy with a repainting project, and Hyde Court in 1^st Street has also just finished a serious exterior renovation job. Daventry Court was also repainted recently. The buildings in 1^st Street are making a serious effort to improve this vicinity, and the whole suburb will benefit.

Brenthurst Court continues to expand their upliftment of their 3^rd Street pavement. Many thanks to Jaco and his team for this value-adding effort.

We continue to ask all buildings please to help by cleaning up litter and weeds on pavements or in gutters, as this adds a lot of value to the vicinity. When litter is left to accumulate, including mounds of leaves, it seems to encourage passers-by to drop their litter onto the pile as well, rather than to carry it a bit further to a rubbish bin.

On 25 May 2022, the City of Johannesburg launched its Golden Repair strategy, and linked it to the 2022/2023 budget. The full document can be downloaded at Johannesburg Budget Speech 22/23. The document is 16 pages long, and so I have summarised a few key points:

The following tariff increases will apply from 1 July 2022:

1. Property rates will increase by 4.85%;
2. Electricity charges will increase by 7.47% – this increase is determined by NERSA and they have no option but to pass it through to residents;
3. Water charges will increase by 9.75% – this increase is also a pass-through cost from Rand Water;
4. Sanitation charges will increase by 9.75%; and
5. Refuse collection charges will increase by 5%.
6. Income threshold levels to qualify for the pensioners’ rebates will increase by an average of 4.85%.

In addition, the following issues will receive focus in the year ahead:

• Joburg Water has been set high service-level standards, including 95% of water pipe bursts repaired within 48 hours, 92% of sewer blockages cleared within 24 hours and 95% of water supply interruptions concluded within 12 hours of notification.
• 122km of lane roads will be resurfaced, 2.7km of open storm water drains will be converted to underground systems; and 1000 public lights will be installed.
• Improved by-law and traffic enforcement will include the establishment of a new anti-land-invasion unit, the employment of 150 park rangers to make our parks safer, conducting regular inspections to crack down on illegal building and land use, forming a dedicated prosecution unit and revitalising municipal courts to ensure that by-laws are enforced and transgressors are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law;
• The purchasing of 20 new fire engines for the fire department;
• Maintaining or replacing aging infrastructure.

We have still not received feedback from the Killarney Mall regarding them accommodating a taxi facility on their property. We are corresponding with the applicable municipal officials, but they are moving very slowly. Hopefully they will speed up as part of the Golden Repair strategy.

On a sad note, Kayte Denham has left the employ of Pam Golding Properties after many years. Accordingly, Pam Golding Properties have decided to end their long-running sponsorship of our park gardener, Nolicent Ntete. I feel that we need to have a gardener in the park, even if just for a couple of days a week. Our park is large and well used, municipal attention is intermittent, and problems build up quickly.

I therefore propose that the NKRA take up the cost of the gardener directly, until we can find a new sponsor. If we reduce him to 2 days a week from the current 3 days a week, and reduce his daily hours slightly, then at R200 per day it will cost us R20,800 per year, assuming he never takes leave. Hopefully we will get a new sponsor within the year, so the total cost will be even less. Two days a week is nowhere near enough to keep the park looking manicured, but he will at least be able to take care of the major issues. Nolicent is an excellent asset, and he will need to look for new work to replace his lost earnings. We have already moved to secure Nolicent for Killarney for this month, but he has a family to support and he needs certainty for his future. Therefore, unless there are serious objections to the NKRA taking over this relationship, I will “hire” him for Killarney on an indefinite basis.

Thus far, 37 buildings out of the 55 sectional title buildings in Killarney-Riviera have paid the 2022 membership subscription to the NKRA – this is about 67% of the total. Many thanks indeed to these buildings for your on-going support. The current list of the members for 2022 is as follows:

1. Berkeley Square
2. Beverley Heights
3. Biarritz
4. Brenthurst Court
5. Bretton Woods
6. Canterbury Close
7. Chartwell
8. Chelston Hall
9. Christina Court
10. Cranwell Hall
11. Daventry Court
12. Devon Place
13. Earls Court
14. Gleneagles
15. Glenhof Gardens
16. Greenhills
17. Hampshire Mews
18. Hyde Court
19. Interlaken
20. Killarney Court & Gardens
21. Killarney Hills
22. Killarney Park
23. Killarney Village
24. Kingsborough
25. Knightsbridge
26. La Camargue
27. Mentone Court
28. Monviso
29. Park Avenue
30. Portofino
31. Rapallo
32. Riviera Mansions
33. Santa Margherita
34. Sevenoaks
35. Splice Riviera
36. The Rivieras
37. Whitehall Court

If your building does make a membership contribution, please ask your managing agent to include the reference number as well, so as to facilitate the allocation of the payment on our side.

Please would NKRA members give us feedback on the issues described above, and especially regarding the park gardener? We also welcome all suggestions from all residents, on all issues.

Best wishes to all, keep well, and keep safe.

Wayne Ford