NKRA Communique – September 2025

Hi everyone

We held our September NKRA monthly general meeting via the internet on Wednesday 17 September 2025. 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 15 October 2025. All 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.

The Friends of the Library – Killarney

The Friends of the Library – Killarney will be hosting various activities for children in the library during the October school break.

The Friends of the Library – Killarney will be holding further book-sales in the future, and so we are asking for additional books of all kinds to be donated please. You can hand donations in to the librarian during office hours, or you can deposit them through the book-return slot in the front door of the library if the library is closed.

You can contact the Friends of the Library – Killarney, and participate in their activities, via their WhatsApp group at https://chat.whatsapp.com/KrYlArsPHSRAiyoGHerC0s

Pavement repairs

A few big NKRA pavement repair projects are currently underway, in places where pavements have been seriously damaged by the municipality while repairing pipes or cables, and this damage was not properly repaired afterward. The focus of the NKRA is to make the pavements as safe as possible for pedestrians, by levelling them off and replacing the paving as best we can. We are not focusing on building a perfectly smooth surface, because we anticipate that these pavements will be dug up again soon to do further repairs.

One of these projects is addressing the two major excavations in 4^th Avenue, on the pavement of Bretton Woods. These excavations were both obstructing the pavement completely, forcing people to walk in the street. Because the municipality in both cases also dug up both the gutter and the edge of the road itself, and displaced the kerb-stones, there is also the risk that future rainwater run-off will erode the soil, and will create an even bigger hazard.

The NKRA has therefore made a start on these repairs, aiming initially to create a safe pathway for pedestrians, and to protect the underlying soil from erosion. We will not be able to repair the kerb-stones just yet, so this project will need to be implemented as a two-stage process. If JRA does not come to fix the kerb-stones and the gutters, then we might need to hire a paving company or a builder to help us.

Major progress has also been made on restoring the high-traffic pavement in Riviera Road outside Daventry Court. The remaining outstanding work will require some expenditure for casual labour and materials, estimated at about R12,800. This budget was approved by the NKRA September meeting, and it will be confirmed at the October meeting unless there are substantial objections from the NKRA member buildings. We are still waiting for Joburg Water to finish repairing the leaking water meter in the middle of this area. Once the pavement has been made safe for pedestrians, we will look at planting hardy succulent plants along the borders as well, to make the area more attractive.

Street repairs

We have finally received a response from the JRA to our multiple requests to be allowed to perform our own repairs on potholes in our streets. They told us that “the roads infrastructure within the City of Johannesburg belong to the municipality and with that being the by-laws are against any work or repairs done on the roads by residents or any other person besides the JRA.” They did also assure us that their “inspectors are always doing rounds in and around the region to identify all the defects”, and that “Killarney’s issues have been highly noted and are included in our schedule of works.” They invited us to email them a spreadsheet explaining the most serious issues, so that teams can be assigned to attend to them, and they assured us that they are liaising with Joburg Water to also address the re-instatements of excavations dug by them to repair water pipes. They did however leave open an opportunity, by allowing us to submit a formal application to do repairs in the street ourselves (which they emphasise is “highly prohibited”) which they will escalate to the Head of Department.

We have sent them specific messages detailing our most important issues. However we must all please 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 we must get reference numbers every time so that non-delivery can be tracked and escalated. These reports must include a street location, including the closest corner. The more people who report, the better are our chances of getting a response. We can, and will, continue to fill deep potholes temporarily with loose stones, to reduce the danger to cars, bicycles and motorcycles.

NKRA Community Gardens project

Spring veggies have been planted in the community food garden, and are thriving. Additional fruit trees have been donated to the park, and have been planted around the park. Donations of food-producing trees are all very welcome. You can join this project on WhatsApp at: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Cjh3eJl57pv1XcoQ7OEBj9, or on Instagram at this link.

It has been proposed to paint a mural on a boundary wall in the park, at the location of the community food garden, primarily to advertise the availability of the food. The mural will be funded by the Killarney Mall, who have already contributed the deposit to get things started. This mural is NOT being paid for out of NKRA members’ subscriptions. Here is an artistic  rendering of the proposed mural, and residents are invited to comment please.

Formal approval for this mural is required from the Killarney Park body corporate, who own the wall. The Gardening team raised the matter with the Killarney Park body corporate, and were advised that the mural must be approved at the Killarney Park AGM, which is planned for later in the year. Unfortunately, a miscommunication resulted in the painter commencing work on the mural before the consultation and authorisation process was done. Work has been halted while we wait to complete the authorisation process.

We have now also been informed that the Killarney Park body corporate might be planning to demolish this boundary wall in the near future, and to completely rebuild it.

Park Upliftment Projects

The huge mature jacaranda trees in the park have not been pruned for many years, and several of these trees now have dead and rotting branches – some of which are very large and heavy. When these break off, they could pose a serious danger. This has been reported repeatedly to City Parks, but nothing has been done so far. It has been proposed to hire a private arborist to inspect these trees, and to make a formal written recommendation, in the hopes that this might spur some action from the municipality. We are busy getting quotes.

The children’s playground area again needs additional clean sand. We will need around 6 cubic meters of fresh sand, to do a proper upgrade. We have received a quote of R6,750 for 6 cubic meters of white silica sand from our previous supplier. This expenditure will be voted on at the next NKRA meeting, on 15 October.

The benches in the park require regular maintenance. At present three park benches need repairs, one bench has graffiti, and all 13 of the park benches would benefit from being repainted. It was agreed to hire a person who lives in Killarney, if possible, and a resident has recommended a local handyman named Jabu. A task-team will be formed to manage the specifications and the quality of the work. Thereafter quotes will be obtained.

It has again been suggested to create a composting facility in the park. The location thereof will be decided with input from the Gardening team and the community, but the most obvious position seems to be the north-west corner of the park, in the angle of the Sloan Square boundary and the 4^th Avenue boundary, which is already shielded from view on three sides by the existing vegetation.

Other Upliftment Projects

Themba Mhlope continues to do a lot of cleaning and fixing around the area. He visits Killarney every Wednesday to clear the accumulated pavement rubbish, and every Saturday to do other upliftment projects, such as repairing pavements, clearing weeds and filling potholes with stones, etc. We need more residents to volunteer please to help us with planning and supervising these various upliftment projects. If you have suggestions for future upliftment projects, or if you are willing to help with implementing some of these various small projects, please join in at: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KA4ejvnpF6pGjFg9SJ3KEn.

The NKRA monthly meetings are usually attended by a relatively small number of committed people, and the various project teams also each depend upon a small number of regular participants. This is the norm with community organisations in northern Johannesburg, but despite this, the NKRA manages to achieve a great deal – as we report in our monthly newsletters. We are very grateful for the financial and logistical support of our NKRA member buildings, and for the donations of money and materials and time from various individual residents. However, more could be achieved if more residents became personally involved.

A lot of people get excited about new ventures, but the initial enthusiasm usually fades fast, and thereafter the on-going work is left to the dedicated few. When some residents started the WALKR project (We All Love Killarney-Riviera) to clean up the motorway embankment, dozens of people turned out to help, and there was a lot of community spirit. However, the numbers faded over the following weeks, and although we still undertake cleanup projects every week, they are now being implemented by a paid service-provider, overseen by a small number of committed people.

Some residents might like to work together with their neighbours, to make a contribution and to build community, but they might not be keen on the formality and procedures that are needed to properly manage an organisation. Such people might prefer to join our Gardening team, or our Upliftment team, or the Recycling team, where operational procedures are fairly informal, or perhaps they might enjoy participating in the social street walks. 

We will be holding a public get-together in the park in 4^th Street on Saturday 18 October, starting at 10am. This will be an opportunity for interested people to learn more about the NKRA and our various projects. The event will be kept short and informal, and it will focus on general interaction and the sharing of ideas, rather than “business”. Ward Councillor Eleanor Huggett will also attend, and will be available to speak with residents and answer questions. Please do join us if you have the chance.

Taxi Rank Project

There has not been any further progress with the sale of the Killarney Mall. We have however been advised that the major details of the sale have all been agreed upon, but that a final signature of the deal has been delayed while the Mall obtains various compliance certificates, upgrades the fire protection systems, clarifies some servitude issues, and addresses various other technical matters. We hope to receive positive feedback by the end of November. In the meanwhile, the Mall has undertaken to further improve the security on the pavements around the illegal taxi rank, and to improve their communication with the community.

The Community Night WALKR’s street walks

The Community Night WALKR’s social street walks are continuing to take place, and the participation is increasing as the weather improves. The routes are being varied from week to week. You can join them at: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DsR92XsjIU49JLvv1pAHCI

Recycling Project

We are working with an organisation to improve the practice of recycling domestic refuse in Killarney. The essence of the plan is to have all residents sorting their recyclable materials, so that it is put out separately from the garbage. This will hopefully make the reclaiming process easier and safer, with fewer downsides for all concerned. We are busy gathering details, and more news will be shared in the near future. You can join the recyclers on their WhatsApp group at https://chat.whatsapp.com/L1IlY4t9C837nVxp5oD8QW.

Pavement Rubbish Bins

A lot of litter is being dropped on our pavements, and there are not enough pavement bins. We have spoken with the company that holds the contract with PikiTup, and they have offered to provide us with more bins, but this requires a process with the municipality first, and no time frames are available yet. There is also no clarity yet on whether we will be allowed to put our own privately-owned bins on the pavements. It has been noted that we probably need to have a wayleave for this, and the councillor has informed us that in Norwood, PikiTup doesn’t empty any privately-owned bins. We are trying to clarify this as well.

We have noticed that the rat population in our streets is getting worse again. Please would all buildings take steps to help manage the rats in your vicinity. For those residents who are opposed to using poisons, there are non-toxic alternatives available.

Safety and Security project

The problems continue with illegal hawkers and illegal drinking on pavements. All residents should please keep reporting these incidents to JMPD, as the more reports they receive, the more likely they are to act. It was noted that Vision Tactical have better direct links to JMPD than we do, so we should continue to report these incidents to Vision Tactical as well.

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 010 972 2600, or on 061 071 2001. The two Vision Tactical response vehicles are on 072 830 5305, and on 071 570 5173. We thank Vision Tactical for this community-minded service.

There is an on-going risk of cell-phone snatching, purse-snatching and pickpocketing on our pavements. Personal vigilance remains our best defence here. All buildings are asked to continue to remind their residents and their visitors of this risk, particularly for people who are outside waiting for an Uber.

Service Delivery Reporting

We have noted that the various municipal departments do seem to respond better to service delivery complaints and requests if large numbers of people contact them to report these issues. It seems that their system prioritises the response to each issue based on how many complaints they receive about the issue. To make it easier for residents to report any issues of which you become aware, we will create reporting templates for each of the municipal departments, with built-in guides as to what information needs to be included. We always need to get a reference number, as proof that the matter was reported, so that it can be tracked and followed up. These reports will also be copied to our designated urban inspector, and to the ward councillor.

Membership

“Membership” of the NKRA is voluntary, but for residential buildings it requires an annual membership “subscription” of R50 per each unit in the building (with a maximum of R4,000 per building). In the case of businesses, we request a flat amount of R4,000 per annum. 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. Whenever your trustees change, please would you let us have the contact details of the new trustees.

So far 38 buildings out of the 55 sectional title buildings in Killarney-Riviera have paid their 2025 subscriptions – this is about 69% of the total. The list of the members so far 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
• Killarney Court and Gardens
• Killarney Hills
• Killarney Village
• Killarney Wilds
• Knightsbridge
• 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 motto of the NKRA is “Safer, Cleaner, Better, Greener”. If you have any specific ideas and suggestions to help us implement this vision, please do share them. Otherwise, our primary focuses for 2025 will continue to be as follows:

• Managing the squatter and hawker and taxi and street-drinking problems in Killarney;
• Reducing the various crime risks on the streets, including specifically the risk of pickpockets and phone-snatching;
• Building up and sustaining the “Night WALKR’s” social walking group;
• Expanding the Community Gardens Project to grow food for persons in need;
• Undertaking small upliftment projects where possible, including cleaning, fixing and beautifying the pavements and other visible public spaces, expanding our Upliftment Projects with additional fundraising, and improving relationships with the trolley-recyclers.

We welcome all inputs, on all issues. We are also happy to receive photographs of interesting things that might be happening in our area, which we might include in future newsletters. All interested persons can contact us at wdford@global.co.za to be added to the mailing list. Our website is at www.nkra.org.za.

Our next NKRA monthly general meeting will be held at 18h30 on Wednesday 15 October 2025. 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.

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City emergency hotline on 011 375 5911

Councillor Huggett – by SMS or WhatsApp – 071 785 8068

JMPD call centre hotline number – 080 872 3342

JMPD Control Room – 011 758 9620

JMPD number to report Homeless People camping in the vicinity – 011 490 1538

JMPD number to report Illegal Dumping – 011 490 1684

JMPD number to report Noise Pollution – 011 718 9684

JMPD number to report Illegal Advertising – 011 490 1547

JMPD number to report Illegal Trading – 011 490 1744

JMPD number to report other By-Law issues – 011 490 1684

To report a water leak: 24-hour hotline – 0860 562 874 or 011 688 1699

To report a water leak: fault@jwater.co.za

To report an electrical fault: Citypower.mobi ?