Joint operation targets eyesore under CR Swart Drive bridge
Johannesburg municipal teams this week carried out a coordinated clean-up and by-law enforcement operation under the CR Swart Drive bridge in Ward 104, responding to mounting complaints from residents and local businesses about illegal trading, dumping and unauthorised structures.
The operation formed part of the city’s high-impact service delivery programme, which brings together multiple municipal entities to tackle urgent neighbourhood problems in a single, co-ordinated intervention. Teams removed accumulated waste, dismantled illegal structures and engaged with traders operating beneath the bridge.
Auriel Kobola, Region B service delivery manager for the City of Johannesburg, said officials had received several complaints specifically about informal traders and an illegal taxi rank under the bridge. He said the region would not "fold our arms" and intended not only to enforce by-laws but also to inform and empower residents and traders about what is permitted on sidewalks and public spaces.
"We decided, as a region, that we are not going to fold our arms, and we should come out, not actually to enforce only the by-laws but to empower people by giving as much information as possible on what is allowed on the sidewalk and what is not allowed," Kobola said.
Enforcement officers from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department attended the operation to support by-law compliance work, while Pikitup and Citizen Relationship and Urban Management teams addressed illegal dumping. Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo assisted with grass cutting and tree pruning, and other entities such as Johannesburg Water, City Power and the Johannesburg Roads Agency were reported as having been mobilised where required.
Ward 104 urban inspector Thuli Ngobese described the operation as a major success, noting she had identified more than 50 issues that required attention across different city departments when she first surveyed the site on 1 September.
"I came to identify the issues on September 1, and there were more than 50 things that needed attention from different entities. Today, Johannesburg Water, City Power and Johannesburg Roads Agency sent apolo[gy]..." Ngobese said.
Local businesses had complained about the presence of informal traders and an illegal taxi rank beneath the bridge, according to city officials. The clean-up aimed to restore safe pedestrian access along sidewalks, reduce health and environmental hazards from dumping, and re-establish lawful trading zones.
What the operation involved
- Clearing accumulated waste and removing illegal structures beneath the bridge
- Enforcement and education for informal traders about municipal by-laws
- Grass cutting, tree pruning and basic urban maintenance
- Coordination between law enforcement and municipal service departments
Officials emphasised that the intervention was not intended solely as punitive enforcement but also as an opportunity to provide information to traders about permitted activities on sidewalks and where formal trading may be applied for. The city’s approach combined clean-up crews with by-law officers and municipal service teams in order to address both the immediate environmental concerns and the longer-term governance issues that allowed the location to deteriorate.
| Entity | Role in operation |
|---|---|
| Pikitup | Clearing illegal dumping and accumulated waste |
| Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department | By-law enforcement and trader education |
| Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo | Grass cutting and tree pruning |
| Citizen Relationship and Urban Management | Co-ordination and community engagement |
| Johannesburg Water / City Power / JRA | Supported where infrastructure issues were identified |
Residents and business owners in the area said they had grown frustrated with the ongoing presence of informal trading and associated litter, which they believe discouraged customers and created safety concerns. The city’s multi-entity response is intended to be repeated in other sites flagged under the high-impact service delivery programme.
For local traders operating informally, officials said the priority is to provide clear guidance on what is permitted and where they can seek formal trading permits. The city also aims to reduce illegal dumping hotspots that pose environmental and public-health risks.
Ward councillors and residents will be watching closely to see whether the clean-up leads to sustained improvement, or whether follow-up enforcement and support measures will be needed to stop a recurrence. The operation under CR Swart Drive is the latest example of the city attempting to synchronise services across departments to deliver visible results on the ground.
What residents can do:
- Report illegal dumping and unauthorised trading to City of Johannesburg call centres or ward councillors
- Attend ward meetings to raise persistent service delivery concerns
- Seek information on trading permits from urban management if considering formalising a trade
