NKRA Communique – January 2026

Hi everyone

The January NKRA monthly general meeting was held virtually by internet on 21 January 2026. The key issues arising from that meeting are included in this newsletter. Our next NKRA monthly general meeting will be held at 18h30 on Wednesday 18 February 2026. All of the residents, owners and employees in Killarney and Riviera are welcome to participate. A formal agenda with a Microsoft Teams meeting link will be circulated in due course.

Street Repairs

The municipality has been slow in fixing our roads, but the Discovery Pothole Patrol has responded to our requests for assistance, and has repaired some of our most dangerous potholes. They started with the serious holes at the circle in 7^th Street at the intersection with 4^th Avenue, and they have also addressed the equally serious hole at the circle in Anerley Road. The Discovery Pothole Patrol prioritises their work based on the “level of danger” of each pothole, and we have forwarded them a list of various other potholes.

The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has told us that they are beginning with street repairs in Killarney-Riviera, but that they are still waiting for some paperwork from the Joburg Water entity regarding their excavations. The JRA has promised to address all the serious issues in Killarney-Riviera, and they told us that if these issues are not addressed “soon”, we can then contact the head of the JRA to ask for special permission to repair these issues ourselves. We have already asked for this permission, and they have not yet responded.

In the meanwhile, please all continue to report the various potholes and excavations in the roads to the JRA at hotline@jra.org.za or at 0860 562 874, and please ask for a reference number every time.

Exposed Manhole Safety Project

At the November NKRA meeting it was resolved that any remaining uncovered manholes will be covered with unpainted concrete paving slabs, each one cut to size on a case-by-case basis. The cost was R540 for each unpainted slab, including the cost of the slabs and the labour to cut and fit each slab. Some of the manholes are large enough to require the use of more than one slab. The process was tested on the pavement in Riviera Road, it worked well, and so it was extended across the suburb, at a total cost of R9,180.

There are also two small manholes on the pavement of Newtown Road, alongside the motorway, which were not included in this project. We are busy doing pavement repairs in these two locations, but once that is done, we will see if anything more is needed to make these areas safe. In addition, two large manholes on the Anerley Road bridge also originally needed to be addressed, but the municipality had already responded to our requests by covering them with their largest polymer covers. These do not fit the frame correctly, but they are very heavy, and they will not be easily kicked away. They did the same with a large and dangerous manhole on the Riviera-side pavement in Oxford Road. We have left these heavy polymer covers in place for now, but if this solution fails in the future, we will do a second phase to cover these three large manholes with concrete covers as well.

Pavement Repairs

The January meeting resolved to allocate R5,000 per month, for the next 12 months, to the NKRA pavement repair project to undertake pavement repairs around Killarney-Riviera on an on-going basis. We know that many water pipes are badly corroded, and that the municipality will dig up these pavements again soon to do more repairs, so the objective of these projects is to improve pedestrian safety while we wait for a proper municipal solution.

We have repaired the high-traffic pavement on the corner of Riviera Road and 4^th Avenue, outside Killarney Court.

The project to repair the kerb-stones on the 4^th Avenue pavement outside Bretton Woods, which were displaced by municipal pipe-repairs, is still postponed. This is because the water running down that gutter from the leaking water valve in 3^rd Street will wash away any wet concrete we use in those gutters before it has a chance to dry. We have meanwhile patched these kerbs temporarily to avoid erosion, without using any concrete. The leaking water valve has been reported to Joburg Water often, but so far with no success.

The 4^th Ave pavement outside Bretton Woods has been substantially patched for safety, and this project will be completed once the leaking water valve is repaired by the Joburg Water entity. There are also urgent repairs needed elsewhere in 4^th Avenue, and on the pavement along the motorway in Newtown Road/ 7^th Street, and in 10^th Street, and elsewhere too. These projects will be implemented soon.

Constitutional Amendment Proposal

A suggestion has been made for the existing NKRA constitution to be given a “facelift”, so that it can be improved in places where appropriate. The existing NKRA constitution has worked well for decades, it is fully compliant with all the applicable laws, and it is not essential to change it. However we are open to making improvements where this might be beneficial.

In order to neutralise any use and abuse of politics to dominate the decisions (and access the finances) of the NKRA, the constitution gives the NKRA “office bearers” no power to spend members’ money unless each item of expenditure is specifically supported by a vote of members at a public meeting, after the proposed expenditure has been publicised in advance.

There has also been some discussion that we need to radically restructure the NKRA in order to access S18A tax status, which allows donors to deduct their donations for tax purposes. This whole issue is misleading, because according to the provisions of the Income Tax Act (S18A and the Ninth Schedule), S18A tax status is reserved for a limited range of specific activities, and a residents’ association will never qualify, no matter what form it takes.

Ultimately, an amendment to the NKRA constitution can be made only by a resolution of a majority of the NKRA member buildings, where each member building has one vote. A list of suggested amendments will be compiled and presented to the NKRA member buildings, and each member building will need to decide internally upon their building’s position. Member buildings may support some of the proposed amendments but not all of them, so each of the proposed amendments will be voted on individually. The voting will be done using a physical ballot paper, so that confusion can be avoided, and a record can be retained. All residents are invited to offer suggestions for improving the NKRA constitution, by email to NKRA2026@gmail.com. The NKRA constitution itself can be found on the NKRA website, at https://www.nkra.org.za/about/.

Killarney-Riviera Recycling Pilot Project

To reduce the amount of non-organic waste going into the landfills every day, we need to sort out and recycle the various recyclable materials in our domestic refuse. For most of us, the “trolley-reclaimers” are doing this job for us. To make this informal process work better, the Killarney-Riviera Recycling Project has been established in partnership with ARO (African Reclaimers Organisation). There are 12 buildings participating in the recycling pilot project. You can interact with them at https://chat.whatsapp.com/L1IlY4t9C837nVxp5oD8QW.

ARO has provided us with green wheelie-bins in which we can accumulate all our recyclable materials. ARO also offer large hessian bags, and clear plastic bags, for those buildings which would prefer this approach. All recyclables must be accumulated in the new green bins (or bags) supplied by ARO, and electronic waste should be collected separately. ARO will send their trucks into Killarney on Tuesdays to assist the informal reclaimers, so that they don’t need to drag their trolleys for long distances in the traffic. ARO also undertakes to ensure that our area is left clean after they are done.

Park Upliftment Projects

Many of the wooden benches in the 4^th Street park required various levels of repair. A repair project was therefore undertaken, and the wooden benches have all been repaired as needed, and freshly painted, at a cost of R12,804.

The mature jacaranda trees in the park need to be pruned. A large falling branch could be dangerous, and it’s also possible that an entire tree could fall. Johannesburg City Parks & Zoo (JCPZ) do not have capacity to address this, but they are willing to allow us to hire an outside contractor to do the work, at our own expense, provided the JCPZ are also present on the day to monitor and supervise the work. This project has been delayed by the JCPZ, but it will be implemented as soon as JCPZ gives the go-ahead. The cost will be less than R20,000. 

Killarney Mall taxi rank and refurbishment progress

No further progress has been made, in part due to the holiday season. Per the municipal regulations, the creation of a taxi rank on the Mall premises will need to be incorporated in their next refurbishment project. Meanwhile, the Killarney Mall street guards (patrolling in the purple bibs) are adding value in the surrounding streets.

Safety and Security focuses

The risks of cell-phone snatching on pavements, and pick-pockets, are an on-going concern. All buildings are urged to warn their residents and visitors not to stand or walk on the pavement with a phone or valuables in their hands.

Vision Tactical Security have patrol cars in Killarney, and they are willing to react to all reports of criminal activity. If you notice any suspicious behaviour, you can contact the Vision Tactical Control Room on 084 222 2222, or on 061 071 2001, or on 010 972 2600. We thank Vision Tactical for this valuable community-minded service.

The City of Joburg has created a WhatsApp tipoff line, at 078 221 0419. You can use this number to report all by-law contraventions, including disturbances, drinking, illegal parking, etc. You need to send them the details of the problem, and the exact location.

It is difficult to get hold of the JMPD on the phone, and they do not have an internet portal for receiving communications from the public like Joburg Water does, or an email hotline like the JRA has. The ward councillors do have access to the JMPD upper management, and our ward councillor Eleanor Huggett has offered to interface with JMPD on our behalf. Anybody who notes a by-law contravention can WhatsApp the details to Councillor Huggett at 071 785 8068. You must include full details of the problem, full details of the location of the problem, and photographic or video evidence to support your complaint.

The Friends of the Library – Killarney

The Friends of the Library in Killarney (FOLK) have elected a fresh committee, and they are working on new plans. They are preparing to hold another fundraising book sale, and they are requesting donations of books. You can give donated books directly to the librarian, or after hours you can deposit them through the book return slot in the front door. You can interact with the FOLK at https://chat.whatsapp.com/KrYlArsPHSRAiyoGHerC0s

The Community Gardens project

The community food garden is doing well. A group of residents have also started a shared bokashi project, which converts food waste into nutrient-dense garden fertiliser. You can interact with them at: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Cjh3eJl57pv1XcoQ7OEBj9.

The Community Night WALKR’s street walks

The Community Night WALKR’s street walks are continuing. You can interact with the [KR] Social Walkers at https://chat.whatsapp.com/CGOgiBZSRmhDNTq5BVdccU?mode=wwt.

The Themba Cleanup/Upliftment Projects

The Themba Cleanup team continues to do a lot of cleaning and fixing around the area. You can interact with this team at: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KA4ejvnpF6pGjFg9SJ3KEn.

NKRA Membership

The members of the NKRA are the buildings of the area. Membership of the NKRA is voluntary, and this membership is renewed annually by the body corporate paying their membership subscription. For residential buildings, the membership “subscription” is R50 per each unit in the building per annum (with a maximum charge of R4,000 per building). Only the official representatives of member buildings can vote on resolutions, but all property owners, residents and employees of businesses in the suburbs of Killarney and Riviera are welcome to attend and participate in our public meetings. 

The invoices for the membership subscriptions for the year ahead, will go out in February.

41 buildings out of the 55 sectional title buildings in Killarney-Riviera are currently paid-up members – this is about 73% of the total. The list of the members is as follows:

• Berkeley Square
• Beverley Heights
• Biarritz
• Bolton Hall
• Brenthurst Court
• Bretton Woods
• Canterbury Close
• Castlerosse
• Chelston Hall
• Christina Court
• Cranwell Hall
• Daventry Court
• Devon Place
• Dumbarton Oaks
• Earl’s Court
• Gleneagles
• Glenhof Gardens
• Greenhills
• Hampshire House
• Hampshire Mews
• Highbury
• Hyde Court
• Interlaken
• Killarney Court and Gardens
• Killarney Hills
• Killarney Park
• Killarney Village
• Killarney Wilds
• Knightsbridge
• La Camargue
• Mentone Court
• Monviso
• Park Avenue
• Portofino
• Rapallo
• Riviera Mansions
• Riviera Villas
• Santa Margherita
• Sloane Square
• Splice
• The Rivieras

We thank all these buildings for your on-going support, and we also thank all the various individual people who make personal donations as well. This funding enables us to undertake various projects, for the benefit of us all.

The Vision of the NKRA is encapsulated in our motto: “Safer, Cleaner, Better, Greener”. In pursuit of these strategic objectives, we currently focus primarily on the following:

• Reducing the various crime risks on the streets;
• Undertaking various projects, including repairing municipal infrastructure where this is allowed, to make the area safer and to improve our quality of life;
• Reducing the squatter and hawker and taxi and street-drinking problems;
• Building up a sustainable recycling project;
• Supporting community projects such as the Killarney Library, the “Night WALKR’s” walking groups, the Cleanup/Upliftment projects, and the Community Food Gardens Project.

If you have any specific ideas and suggestions to help us implement this vision, please do share them. We welcome all inputs, on all issues. We are also happy to receive photographs of any interesting things that are happening in our area, which we might include in future newsletters. If you wish to be added to the mailing list, to receive notices and agendas etc, please send an email to wdford@global.co.za. You can find our website at www.nkra.org.za, our NKRA Facebook page is at www.facebook.com/groups/1915871842042728, and you can link to our Community WhatsApp Group at www.nkra.org.za/whatsapp-link/.

Our next NKRA monthly general meeting will be held at 18h30 on Wednesday 18 February 2026. All residents, owners and employees in Killarney and Riviera are welcome to participate. An agenda with a Microsoft Teams meeting link will be circulated in due course.

Please would you share this newsletter with all your neighbours in Killarney and Riviera?

Keep well, and keep safe.

.

New Killarney-Riviera Association – www.nkra.org.za

Ward Councillor Eleanor Huggett – 071 785 8068 and eleanorhuggett@gmail.com

Service Delivery Reporting Template – https://www.nkra.org.za/issue-reporting-templates/

Link to Community WhatsApp Group – https://www.nkra.org.za/whatsapp-link/