JRA sounds alarm over damaged Johannesburg bridges
· The South African
Bridge structures forming part of Johannesburg’s main motorways are at risk of collapse as a result of illegal mining excavations, among other concerning factors.
Visit freshyourfeel.org for more information.
On Monday, 22 June 2026, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) conducted an oversight visit to multiple sections of the M1 and M2 Bridges. The purpose of the visit was to highlight the extensive damage to bridge infrastructure, as well as other threats and safety concerns.
BRIDGES UNDER THREAT
Footage and photos taken during the visit show damage to the bridge structures caused by vandalism, fires and vagrant encampments.
Illegal mining excavations – which lead to infrastructure theft, such as handrails and guardrails – are also among the top threats to bridge stability. Indeed, craters left over from these excavations are especially visible underneath the M2 bridge, leaving parts of the structure exposed.
What you see here is intentional, illegal excavation under the M2 bridge. This damage directly threatens the bridge's support structures, compromising the safety of thousands of daily commuters. We must act now to protect our city's infrastructure from further destruction. ^AK pic.twitter.com/bNCB5C0lc4
— Joburg Roads Agency (@MyJRA) June 22, 2026
“This damage directly threatens the bridge’s support structures, compromising the safety of thousands of daily commuters,” a tweet from the JRA reads. “We must act now to protect our city’s infrastructure from further destruction.”
ARE THESE BRIDGES SAFE?
Naturally, the findings from the agency’s visit has caused widespread concern about these bridges’ structural integrity, as well as that of the motorways at large.
In a recent interview with 702 Drive with John Perlman, JRA CEO Zweli Nyathi sought to quell the public’s fears. He explained that the bridges are structurally sound and thus safe for commuters to use.
However, the ongoing exposure to the aforementioned threats could seriously compromise their integrity.
“I can assure the citizens that the bridges are structurally sound,” Nyathi told Perlman, per BusinessTech. “We had a lot of engineers with us [during the visit] yesterday, but the continuous excavation and damage might lead to infrastructure collapse. So that’s what we’re trying to avoid.”
CONCRETE SOLUTIONS
Infrastructure theft and ongoing vandalism are persistent issues in Johannesburg. Without essential infrastructure, such as bridge guardrails and handrails, it can seriously endanger residents and hamper service delivery.
To repair or replace this infrastructure is costly for the City of Gold, running into millions of rands annually.
When asked if installing security guards at bridges could mitigate the aforementioned threats, Nyathi answered, “If it needs to happen that way, we’ll have to do it. We don’t have a choice because it might be costly to fix the infrastructure, and it might even cost lives, compared to paying security to be deployed there.”
Time will tell what concrete solutions one can find to address these concerns. Until then, share your thoughts, comments and remarks on the matter below.