PETITION

TO: The Regional Director, Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM) – Region A
ATTENTION: Mr. Pierre Nel (Assistant Director) / Mr. Lesego Semakane (Manager)
CC: Cllr. Vino Reddy (Ward 93 Councillor)
CC: Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) – By-Law Management Unit 
CC: Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD)

DATE: 2 December 2025

SUBJECT: URGENT INTERVENTION REQUIRED: ILLEGAL OCCUPATION, WASTE BURNING, ILLEGAL BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AT K60 ROAD (INTERSECTION VAN DER BIJL & RIVONIA ROADS SUNNINGHILL) AND CHILLI LANE[1]

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED RESIDENTS OF PAULSHOF AND SUNNINGHILL, AND SURROUNDING SUBURBS

Submit this formal petition to Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM) to demand immediate and coordinated action regarding the escalating crisis in our suburbs. The unchecked growth of informal settlements and the unregulated activities of waste pickers in our area have created a public health emergency and an environmental disaster.

PREAMBLE

We note with grave concern the reports highlighting the migration of displaced individuals from the "Ginger Farm" settlement onto the K60 road reserve and the area behind Chilli Lane Shopping Centre. This influx has established a new hotspot for illegal occupation, directly contravening City by-laws and compromising the safety and sanitation of the surrounding residential and commercial precincts.[2]

KEY GRIEVANCES

Based on our observations and validated by inspections by relevant local and provincial government authorities as well as recent news reports, we highlight the following critical issues:

1.  Toxic Air Pollution and Health Hazards:

• Waste pickers living and operating in these informal settlements are routinely burning plastic, copper cables, and refuse to extract recyclable materials or dispose of waste.
• This produces thick, toxic fumes that blanket our homes, posing severe respiratory risks to residents, particularly the elderly and children.
• The burning of waste violates the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act.

2.  Environmental Degradation of Waterways:
The Sandspruit and Braamfontein Spruit are being systematically polluted.[2] With no access to ablution facilities, squatters are using the riverbanks as open latrines.
Unsold waste and debris are dumped directly into the river systems, causing blockages, contamination, and the destruction of local riparian ecosystems.

3.  Expansion of Illegal Settlements:

• The settlement on the K60 road reserve is expanding rapidly. The failure to enforce court orders at previous settlements (such as Ginger Farm) has simply shifted the problem to our doorstep.
• Proactive action is required to prevent displaced squatters from settling along the Braamfontein spruit and Sandspruit Rivers under the N1 and 12th Avenue Rivonia bridge.  
• The lack of immediate intervention by authorities and the JMPD has encouraged further illegal occupation.

4.  Crime and Sanitation:

• The uncontrolled settlements have become vectors for rat infestations and vectors for petty crime, including cable theft and smash-and-grab incidents at nearby intersections (specifically Rivonia Road).
• Numerous burglaries and attempted burglaries have been reported in the area which has become unsafe due to illegal occupation in the vicinity.
• Waste pickers are raiding Pikitup refuse bags in residential areas, preventing Pikitup from recycling waste responsibly, scattering litter and creating unsanitary conditions in our streets.

OUR DEMANDS

We demand that CRUM, City of Johannesburg and relevant authorities, as the entities responsible for service delivery coordination and urban management, take the following immediate actions:

1. Immediate Site Inspection & Action Plan: Conduct a joint site inspection with JMPD, Environmental Health, and Social Development within 7 days to assess the scale of the K60 and Chilli Lane encampments.
2. Enforcement of By-Laws: Enforce City by-laws regarding illegal land occupation, loitering, and air pollution. The burning of waste must be stopped immediately through 24-hour monitoring if necessary.
3. Department of Home Affairs: Most waste pickers are foreign national.  Enforce identification and removal of illegal foreigners occupying squatter camps and operating illegal waste  businesses.
4. Relocation and Management: Implement a strategy to relocate illegal occupants to designated shelters or housing programs, preventing the "revolving door" of moving squatters from one open space to another.
5. Environmental Cleanup: Coordinate with Pikitup and City Parks to clear the accumulated waste piles along the K60 reserve and the Braamfontein Spruit and Sandspruit riverbanks from the river confluence at the K60 to 12th Avenue Rivonia.
6. Securing of Public Land: Install proper fencing and security measures along the K60 road reserve to prevent re-occupation, as requested by the Ward Councillor and the Ratepayers Associations.

CONCLUSION

The community has already implemented positive changes and actions and support and action is required from the authorities.  The residents of Paulshof and Sunninghill are no longer willing to accept the deterioration of our suburbs. We pay our rates and taxes with the expectation of a clean, safe, and healthy environment. We support the efforts of Ward Councillor Vino Reddy and call upon CRUM to provide the necessary resources and coordination to resolve this crisis permanently.

WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY SPACES BACK!

Signed by the Residents of Paulshof and Sunninghill and surrounds

*PHOTO: Actual photograph taken in K60 behind Chilli Lane and Opposite the Achter Road park